Devils Never Cry In Gamindustri
by Justanothafan
Summary: What if Sparda had a brother? A brother who helped him rebel against Mundus? Who stood by him until Sparda made the fateful decision to sacrifice his wife to seal the Temen-ni-gru. Despite knowing it to be necessary, the younger brother of Sparda chooses to leave their current dimension, with his infant son, Taven. Takes place during Megadimension Neptunia VII.
1. Prolouge

The moonlight shined faintly on a grassy plain, just outside Lastation's borders. It was one of the rare areas where monsters didn't wander, and was undisturbed by human activity. That is why no one was witness to the phenomenon that would occur. The wind shifted as two glowing lines, one overlapping the other, sliced the fabric of time and space, before it split open like a torn fabric. A moment later, a figure stepped through the portal, a broad shouldered man wearing a grey, long sleeved shirt beneath a black vest, as well a maroon ascot and black slacks. His hair was white as snow, with some lining his cheeks, giving him a somewhat wild appearance, with silver/grey eyes, and a pair of earrings on his left ear.

This was Mundez, the younger brother of Hell's greatest enemy. As he took his first few steps onto this world's grass, it took all of his willpower to not turn around, but he 'was' able to speak.

"Fortune upon you brother. The world is under your protection now. Once again, 'you' get the reward.'"

A moment of silence passed, before he heard the voice of his older brother, Sparda. "Mundez, please forgive me. You have suffered greatly...and if I could..."

"Sparda, should we ever meet again...I will make you suffer. So pray that we don't."

Another moment of silence passed, before Sparda said, "Mundez...I wish you well."

Mundez didn't respond, simply looking down at the bundle he held in his arm with a warmth uncommon amongst demons. And why wouldn't he? It was his child...his last connection to Naomi.

With that last statement, Mundez heard the portal slowly dissolve behind him, the light from the tear disappearing and leaving him alone in the field, his left hand carrying his still sleeping son, his right carrying his infamous sword, Hellsing. Looking up, the man saw the faint lights of civilization, and began his long trek forward. The next few weeks were going to be hectic, but... losing his friend/former lover Sayaka, his wife Naomi, his son and daughter...

Mundez felt his shoulders quiver as the tears threatened to fall. Sparda's goal was noble, but Mundez wished he could turn back time...just this once. It had taken everything he had to not 'kill' Sparda, who made him lose everything.

No...not everything. The light snores of the infant he held reminded him that he still had someone left.

**One Year Later**

"That wasn't too bad, I suppose. At least our food costs will remain...manageable." Mundez trailed off as he saw the young teenaged babysitter he'd hired, cowering behind the sofa of the living room while his son, Taven, smacked some plushies together, making adorable baby noises as he smashed the toys against each other. This wouldn't be enough to warrant such a display of fear, but, then Mundez took a peek into the kitchen room, and what he saw was something equivalent to the aftermath of a battlefield, just, no bodies, organs and limbs lying around. There were claw marks all over the walls, the wooden table was smashed into splinters, and Taven's high chair was bent to hell.

Hell, it looked to have been chewed in a few places!

(Damn. I even brought the metal supports.) Thought Mundez, before turning to the frightened girl and asking, "How much so you stay quiet about this?"

An hour later, he was bouncing a giggling Taven on his knee while surfing channels on the television. At least Taven didn't wreck this wonderful device. This world was 'far' more advanced than his own, and had technologies that put some witchcraft to shame. Still...

Mundez briefly recalled how last hunting request went. The battle with the large monsters that wandered the wilderness had taken far more effort than he remembered ever using. The ritual had essentially made him mortal, robbing him of his demonic power and rendering a normal man with above average strength.

Mundez looked to his son as he giggled again, and his eyes softened. He had his hair, and his eyes, but everything else, he got from his mother. Even a year later, the thought of his late wife made his heart ache. Years of research had lead Mundez to Japan, where demons were commonly sealed away by powerful monks. Sayaka herself had directed Mundez towards a village where some of the strongest monks built a temple. During his stay, he met Naomi, a priestess who was able to recognize his true status as a demon despite his disguise.

He chuckled at the memory, recalling how Naomi told him that his hair was a dead giveaway, and how she offered him food afterwards. He found her fascinating, and realized how powerful she was after acting as her guard during some of her missions. It made sense, she came from a powerful family of exorcists, and had been trained from infancy to pacify demons and resist evil. However, her near constant battles had never tainted her own purity of spirit.

He was brought of memory lane when Taven tossed his plushie against the wall, before crying and reaching towards the fallen toy. With a chuckle, Mundez moved to retrieve it.

"You cost us a babysitter you know. Not to mention the kitchen." Taven merely giggled and snatched the plushy out of his hand, before biting down on the head. A faint rip could be heard as his growing teeth shredded the fabric. Yep, his demon blood was showing, alright. Mundez briefly wondered how his son would act during...ugh...puberty. Human puberties were always described as nightmarish, not that Mundez would ever know, as he and Sparda were often too busy fighting other demons to establish their dominance among Mundus' minions. Even now, the memory soured his mood. His very name was an attempt by his father and mother to appease the demon king.

As if being in his brother's shadow wasn't enough, his parents stuck him behind the very ruler of the underworld itself.

A sudden tearing sound caused him to look to Taven, deadpanning as the young half demon waved the decapitated head of his plushy in victory. Mundez shook his head in amusement.

**Two Years Later**

(I should've done this from the start!) Thought Mundez as he surveyed his students, watching the adepts train the newer members of the dojo. Yep, Mundez decided to open a dojo to teach swordsmanship to the citizens of Lastation, allowing him to earn an income, and stay home to raise Taven...because bribing babysitters was starting to get expensive.

The dojo had been built separately from their new house, which was on the border of the city, and the wild forests that was home to the lower level monsters. It resembled a small temple, with Mundez modeling it after the temples in Japan. It was also in the worst part of the city. Crimes were rampant, and more than once, Mundez had to fight off would-be robbers.

A tug on his gi caused the man to look down and see his three year old son, eagerly looking up to him with a small bokken in hand. This caused the man to sigh. It seemed that Taven inherited to draw to combat, and it was getting harder and harder to deny him as time went on. It also didn't help that he grew at a faster rate then the other children in the neighborhood, another reason they had to move.

Sighing, he knelt to his son and said, "Taven...you're...still too young."

"But...I'm not going to be small forever! I grow faster than the other kids anyway, so why can't I swordfight!?" Whined the young toddler.

Mundez sighed. Why did Taven have to inherit his attitude?

"When you're a big boy...you can 'swordfight'. Is this about the Dogoos again?"

"They bounce around like they own the place!" Muttered Taven with a pout, causing his father to chuckle.

"Come now, they can't be 'that' bad."

A shriek suddenly filled the air, and everyone tensed as a female student rushed in, her training kimono covered in the telltale blue goo of a Dogoo. "Oh my goddesses they're everywhere!" She yelled, hiding behind one of the older students as a group of the pests started bouncing into the now open slide door.

(Me and my big mouth.) Thought Mundez, pulling out his own bokken and rushing in front of his students. "All of you! Stay behind me!"

Despite losing most of his power in Sparda's sealing ritual, Mundez was still strong enough to at least contend with the larger monsters of this world.

Many of the older students nodded, with those armed with bokken rushing to flank their master. However, they failed to account for one factor.

"Raaah!" Taven's war cry echoed as he snatched someone's bokken and ran forward. Before Mundez could say anything, Taven already sliced through three of the monsters and leapt onto a fourth, stabbing his weapon into its face.

"Taven!" Yelled Mundus in frustration and worry. However, he didn't expect the rest of his students to charge forward with war cries of their own, and he relaxed his posture as he watched the pack of Dogoo get dispatched by his students. A minute later, he couldn't keep the smile off his face as he watched his son get lifted onto someone's shoulders, as his name was cheered.

"Taven!...Taven!...Taven!"

Practically glowing at the praise, he raised his bokken and said, "Can I swordfight or what!"

Needless to say, Mundez 'had' to train his son after that.

**Ten Years Later**

"Yeesh! Finally!" Muttered Taven, riding his bike down the street, bookbag loaded with textbooks, and yet another note in his pocket from the guidance counselor. It looks like Taven would once again play, 'how long can I hide this from dad?'

His current record was four hours.

Speaking of records, his phone suddenly rang, and Taven was quick to answer. "Yo?"

On the other end, his friend Famitsu said, _"Hey, Taven! You could have said 'bye' before you decided to split! Everyone's been talking about that ass whooping!"_

"I warned that asshole what would happen if he fucked with me again." Said Taven, swerving around a few cars and grinning as they honked their horns at him.

_"What did he do exactly?"_

"He slapped my pizza to the ground Famitsu! My! Pizza!"

A pause followed, before Famitsu said, _"You have a serious addiction to pizza. I think you might need help."_

"Screw you! See you at the dojo tomorrow!." Said Taven with a laugh.

"You're going to get your butt handed to you with my dual sword technique!" Said Famitsu, causing Taven to grin before hanging up and continuing on home.

However, upon riding into his neighborhood, his smile fell, as he passed...a certain street sign. He still had nightmares about that day...and no one in the town was willing to let him forget it either. When he saw the dojo's gate, he schooled his expression into a neutral one, not wanting his father to know that he still remembered.

That day he upped his record of hiding the note. Five hours this time.

In return he was grounded for five weeks, with no pizza. Times like that made Taven wonder if his father was the devil in disguise.

**Taven: Age Sixteen**

"Taven! Please!" Yelled Mundez as he watched his son toss the last of his belongings into the back of a van. For the last year, father and son had been at odds, with Mundez forbidding Taven from leaving their home, while Taven wanted to actually explore the world, and get away from the whispers and stares of the people. Most of all, he wanted to try and forget 'why' the people in this town hated him.

At the entrance of the dojo, some of the students watched the duo, shuffling awkwardly on their feet as they watched father and son argue. In front of them, Famitsu watched with narrowed eyes, not knowing who to side with in this argument. This all started when Taven suddenly dropped out of school, much to his father's frustrations. The atmosphere of the dojo had grown tense whenever the two were in the same room, and though it was unlikely they would ever come to blows, it was becoming increasingly obvious that Taven was feeling trapped.

"Enough is enough dad! I'm old enough to join the guild now, so you can't stop me from leaving! I can't spend my whole life here!"

"Taven, there are things you don't under-!"

The son rounded on his father, annoyance and rage in his expression. "'You' don't understand! I can't live here and pretend that I'm normal! You've seen how the others look at me! I'm the 'neighborhood delinquent!' Always getting into fights! Hell, some of the idiots are looking for ways to shut your dojo down! They think you train delinquents! Hell, they think you train 'murderers!' You should be dancing for joy!"

Mundez growled in annoyance. Who knew dealing with a teen would be this much of a headache? But, he supposed the blame mostly laid on his shoulders. He never told Taven that he was half demon, believing that if Taven saw himself as a human, he would be safer, and wouldn't take unnecessary risks. However, now it seems that plan has backfired.

"Is 'that' what this is about!? Taven, I don't care how everyone else looks at you, or thinks of you! You're still my son!"

Taven actually paused, then looked his father in the eye. To this day, Mundez still flinched somewhat whenever his son looked at him. He had so much of his mother inside him, and Taven's eyes narrowed when he saw the miniscule flinch. "Sure you don't."

With that, Taven shut the van's backdoors and made his way to the drivers seat. "By the way...sorry for ruining your reputation by dropping out of school. But hey, at least your son isn't a bum who sleeps in the basement."

This time the flinch was obvious, and Mundez watched him, regret swelling within him He briefly entertained the thought of grabbing Taven and telling him the truth. Perhaps it would convince him to stay...for just a little longer. But he shot it down and could only watch as his son got behind the wheel and stepped on the gas. The van began moving down the gravel road, and Mundez clenched his fist as he tried to fight the urge to run after him.

If he told him now...there was no telling what Taven would do, and he might lose his son's trust completely, something he couldn't bear. For now, he would give him his space, and hope for the best.


	2. Open For Business

A fair-skinned girl with a short physique walked down the streets of Lastation, a stern gaze on her face. She had pale brown hair that reached down near her waist, sharp, green eyes. On her head she wore a bow that consisted of two green leaves on the left side of her head. She wore a loose, large, blue coat with silver buttons and trimming that is worn open and looked like it's many sizes too large for her to wear. Being too loose for her, the sleeves reached past her hands. Beneath that she wore a tank top and a pair of shorts that are black with silver trimming. Wrapping around her waist like a belt were nine colorful pockets that looked like phone cases.

This was IF, a senior member of The Guild, and she was not in a good mood. Her boss told her to check up on a former member, some kid named Taven. Apparently, he was a skilled combatant who joined, then suddenly left. Some of the newbies said he quit because he was caught doing something illegal, while others said he was just bored, irritated that he wasn't allowed to take on high risk quests until he proved himself. Needless to say, he was now rumored to have started his own monster hunting business, and the higher ups wanted IF to see if he was 'healthy competition'.

IF herself wished that they could have sent anyone else, but she was the closest agent, so she was assigned to what she could only say was a spying mission. Soon, she made in to her destination, a small building nestled between a flower shop, and...a pizza restaurant? A strange place to set up a mercenary business.

Looking up, she saw a blue neon sign that read 'Devils Never Cry-Monster Extermination', followed by a phone number.

(It didn't take this guy a long time to set up shop.) She thought with a raised eyebrow, before she made her way to the door. When she opened it, a small bell chimed, and she widened her eyes at the neat set up.

A wooden floor, grey walls, a shelf full of books, and some pictures and plants to decorate the place. A landline phone was on the desk, next to what looked to be a logbook. In the center was a desk, where the proprietor could be seen leaning back in a swivel chair, feet propped up on the desk as he read a game magazine in one hand, specifically Famitsu Magazine, while reaching over and picking up a slice of pizza from a pizza box on his desk. The bright lights from the window made his hair stand out, and at first glance, she could admit he was kind of handsome.

She never met the guy, so this was her first time meeting the infamous Taven. He looked to be sixteen, with olive tan skin and short white hair that greyed slightly at the roots, and silver eyes. He wore a black and blue Jinbaori over a grey, long sleeve Haori top, black pants, and boots. Around his neck was a silver necklace, with a circled pentagram. He reminded IF of a rogue samurai, a Ronin, save for the pizza in his hand, and the small stack of pizza boxes next to the desk.

As she walked up to the desk, he closed the magazine and put his feet down. "Welcome to Devils Never Cry. How can I help you?" He spoke in a relaxed tone, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. If sat down and said, "I heard there was a new shop in town, so I decided to check it out. You're Taven right? The name's IF."

"Nice to meet you-!" Suddenly the landline rang, and he quickly answered, sending an apologetic look her way. "Devils Never Cry. How can I help you? Yes. Yes, half upfront, the other after completion."

A pause, then he began writing in the logbook.

"Yep. I can come today...alright, I'll be there soon. Goodbye." He then hanged up the phone, and said, "Duty calls. How urgent is 'your' job?"

IF paused for a moment, before she shook her head. "Actually, I was hoping to shadow you. My own boss wanted me to...assess your skill." He tilted his head in curiosity, but shrugged before saying, "Alrighty! But if things get hectic, you'd better be ready to run."

"I can defend myself." Said IF with a huff.

"Good, one less thing to worry about."

**Later**

"I'm surprised you showed up so quickly." Said the mayor as Taven and IF entered his office. The contract was a request from a border town, where monsters were known to frequently roam. Apparently, two children went missing yesterday, having wandered far outside the town's safety zone, and Taven was tasked to investigate. He grabbed a standard katana and headed out with IF, and before noon they were in the town where the job was.

IF leaned against the far wall and watched the two conduct business, mentally taking notes so she could report to her bosses. The mayor sat down with a tired sigh and muttered, "This is a troubling time, so let us settle the matter of payment."

The mayor reached beneath his desk, then procured a suitcase, which he opened to show that it was full of credits. Taven nodded in approval and said, "Alright, can you tell me where they were last seen? The sooner I find them, the better the chances." The man sighed in relief, and began to give him the details, Taven having a deadly serious look on his face as he was told about the monster sightings, then given the description of the two boys. They had disappeared into the forest, and as far as anyone knew, the most dangerous monsters that roamed there were just Dogoos.

After that, Taven wasted no time, and headed towards the forest, IF close behind. Along the way she decided to strike up conversation. "I'm surprised you didn't count the money. How will you know if they've paid you what was promised."

Taven scoffed at the statement. "I can worry about 'correct' payment later. It won't mean shit if those kids are hurt. Besides, its good publicity to save them. I need a leg up if I'm going to compete with The Guild."

A moment of silence passed, before IF nodded in approval. So he 'wasn't' an asshole. However, now she was curious as to 'why' he left The Guild.

"So, what do you think of The Guild?" She asked, causing him to look up at the passing canopy, before shrugging and saying, "I can't say I have much to say. I joined after I dropped out of high school, but then I left. I guess...I just used them as an excuse to finally leave the house. My dad..."

He stopped, and she noticed his pace get slower. Clearly, the subject of his father was complicated. Did something happen?

A rustle in the bushes caused them to stop, with Taven unsheathing his katana, while IF's daggers slipped down from her sleeves to her hands. "Just Dogoos huh?" Muttered Taven as the two stood back to back. Another moment of silence, before a figure suddenly leapt out with a wail. Both briefly lifted their weapons, then widened their eyes in shock when they saw 'what' is was.

Before them stood a crying little boy, wearing a torn and dirty outfit. Both were quick to put away their weapons, before Taven knelt down and said, "You nearly scared us there! Are you alright?" With a sniffle, the boy nodded, and said, "Y-yes mister! B-but my brother! He-he's...still stuck!"

"Stuck? In a trap?"

"N-no! A cave! With monsters!"

Taven looked to IF, and after a moment, she nodded, before she turned to the boy and said, "Can you take us there? We're here to rescue you."

The boy took a moment to collect himself, then nodded.

About twenty minutes later, Taven stood staring into the mouth of dark cave, eyes narrowed, before he turned to IF and said, "You stay and watch him." IF sighed, but nodded, knowing they couldn't leave the frightened child alone, but also knowing he wouldn't be consoled until he saw his brother. Taven stepped into the cave, hand gripping the hilt of his katana.

The first few minutes were incredibly dark, and Taven bumped his head a few times as he slowly advanced, using the walls to guide himself down the corridors. However, his troubles lightened when sunlight began streaming into the darkness from some holes in the roof of the stone cave. To his surprise, he was treated to an empty cavern, reminiscent of an arena. Taking a quick glance around, he saw a large group of stalagmites, which were pretty damn wide.

(Yeesh, you could hide a kid behind...)

His train of thought was broken when he saw a face peek out from one of the large structures. Huh. That was easy. Slowly, he sheathed his sword and made his way over. As he approached, the boy slowly stepped out from his hiding spot, and whispered, "Did you...find my brother? He said he was going to get help."

"Yeah. He told us you were trapped in here by monsters." Said Taven. His eyes narrowed when the boy took a quick glance around, before he whispered, "Its gone now. But it'll be back." He was wondering what 'it' was, but Taven figured that it would be smarter to get out of here before-!

A bone shaking roar suddenly rocked the cavern causing them both to cover their ears as they winced in pain! Looking over, Taven's eyes widened in a mix of fear and shock, while the boy screamed in horror.

A large, bipedal dragon was marching towards them! Wings splayed, teeth bared, and hunched over as it approached them, Taven was quick to recognize that the beast was an Ancient Dragon! He growled and unsheathed his blade, before turning to the boy and yelling, "No matter what, stay here! I'll take care of this!"

He didn't hesitate to turn around, and charged towards the lumbering beast, grabbing its attention.

Taven leapt to the side when the dragon opened its maw and launched a stream of fire towards the charging foe. Taven allowed himself to slide and leapt towards the monster's unprotected flank. With a yell, he landed a solid strike with his katana on the dragon's back, slicing off one of its wings before he then stabbed his blade into the creature's back and holding on for dear life as it bucked and shook, trying to throw him off, all while letting out an ear splitting roar that echoed throughout the cavern.

Taven growled and leapt off its back, pulling his blade out and assuming a defensive stance as he watched the dragon fall to its knees. With a yell he charged forward, ready to deliver another scathing blow, before the creature's tail suddenly lifted itself and smacked Taven's ribs with enough force to send him flying.

The mercenary hit the ground hard, causing him to lose his grip on his sword before he went tumbling to the other side of the cavern, stopped only when he hit the other side of cavern. Coughing, he noted a metallic taste in his mouth that made him spit, causing a splotch of blood to appear on the stone floor beneath him. The sight made him growl, before he pushed himself to his feet and looked up, his eyes meeting the Ancient Dragon's glare.

"That all you got!?" He yelled, sticking up a middle finger and grinning. Something about this fight was...causing his blood to boil. Something inside him was waking up. On the other side of the cavern, the small boy watched the exchange with wide eyes, and he gasped when the dragon began to lumber towards the mercenary, blood dripping from the stump of its missing wing. Taven actually began to advance as well, walking towards the beast with a certain pep in his step.

With only ten meters between them, the dragon roared, and launched yet another stream of fire towards Taven, who leapt high into the air with a powerful jump that took him clear above the flames, before flipping downwards with his right leg out, striking the beast's skull with a falling axe kick, the force of which caused it fall flat on its face.

Landing on the creature's back, Taven noticed a strange object jammed between two of the dragon's dorsal spines...a sword hilt.

(So I'm not the only one who took a shot at you.) He thought, running down the monster's back as it slowly got back to its feet, and grabbing the sword's hilt in his dash, yanking the weapon out, and causing the it to roar out in pain again as Taven leapt off its back and landed with a roll on the ground.

Taking a brief moment to look over the weapon, Taven cursed as he saw that it was merely half of a broadsword, and incredibly rusted by the look of it. He may as well grab his katana-!

The sound of metal snapping caused him to look at the dragon, the creature tossing aside what used to be a katana, and glancing back at him with a low growl.

"You motherfucker..." Muttered Taven, watching as the creature hunched over, then suddenly charged forward with a roar, horns down like a bull!

"Oh shit!"

Taven, without thinking, angled the broken blade towards the dragon's head, and met its charge 'head on'! Another roar echoed throughout the cavern as the beast reared its head back and began swinging it around wildly, trying to dislodge Taven, who continued to drive the shattered blade into its skull, before the force of the monster's thrashing finally threw him to the ground in front of the dragon. The creature howled, its hands pawing at its bleeding skull, while Taven slowly got to his feet, blood running down his own face, but smiling with a grim satisfaction as he watched the dragon back away, a large amount of blood forming a puddle between it and the mercenary.

Taven licked his lips, tasting his own blood, before his expression broke out into a near maniacal grin as he charged forward. His instincts had taken the wheels, controlling his body as he ran through the puddle of blood, then leapt up towards the dragon's chest, his body glowing with a light violet aura as he plunged the broken blade into the beast's heart, dead center of the chest.

A long lasting howl of agony followed this action, the dragon throwing its head back as its arms flailed wildly. It took two staggering steps forward, then fell forward, on top of Taven. A loud boom followed its impact on the ground, the stone beneath cracking somewhat. With a low growl, its eyes closed, before all became silent.

Off to the side, the boy watched the monster's body slowly dissolve, a mixture of relief and worry on his face as he tentatively took a few steps away from his hiding spot. He froze however, when the body fully dissolved, revealing Taven, splayed out in a small crater, covered in blood, eyes closed. To the boy, he was as good as dead, until the violet aura from before began to surround his savior's body.

The broken sword in his right hand was enveloped in this aura, and all of the blood that covered Taven began to get absorbed into the blade. Bit by bit, it began to repair and reshape itself, with the boy watching the display in wonder until the aura died down, revealing the now repaired sword.

It could only be described as a blade that looked to be made of fire, with dancing flames pulsing on the blade like blood, and a sharp pommel and blade guard.

Taven's eyes suddenly snapped open, and he sat up with a groan, his free hand moving to his head as he muttered, "Shit...is 'this' what hangovers feel like? Talk about-!" That's when he saw the boy, who was still staring at his sword. Following his gaze, Taven's eyes widened as he beheld the new weapon. "Oh shit! Where the hell did this thing come from!?"

"It...fixed itself. It...drank the blood." Whispered the boy, as Taven pushed himself to his feet. To his surprise...he felt completely fine. No broken bones or crushed organs, despite the fact that a full blown dragon just landed on top of him. Did he have some sort of healing factor?

(What was with that aura? I suddenly feel...ten times more powerful than before!)

Looking over to the new sword, he gave it a few test swings, and was surprised by how light it felt. Was it his new strength? Or was it something to do with the sword? He turned back to the boy and asked, "Are you hurt?"

Getting a shake of the head from the child, Taven sighed and said, "Good, now lets get you out of here."

**That Evening**

One could imagine IF's surprise when Taven emerged from the cave, with a shaken, but unharmed boy holding one hand, and a new fire sword in the other. The town's citizens cheered when they returned with the children, and IF watched with a quirked brow as Taven awkwardly accepted the tearful thanks of the boys' parents. When the mayor saw them, he tried to double the payment, but Taven shocked both him and IF when he said, "I'll just take half the payment. This sword will make up the difference."

Presently, the two were back in Taven's office, the mercenary now dressed in black sweatpants and a simple T-shirt as he munched on a slice of pizza. IF was gratefully sharing in this meal, and a comfortable silence had fallen between them. She glanced over to the wall, where Taven's new sword was hanging like a display, the pulsing fire within the blade being somewhat hypnotic.

Taven finished his slice and leaned back with a satisfied sigh.

"That was one crazy job. But damn if it will boost my publicity! Who wouldn't want to hire someone who can take on an Ancient Dragon?"

"Don't let it get to your head. Your clothes are covered in blood." Said IF, causing Taven to scoff. "Give me 'some' credit. We got the kids back safe and sound, right?"

"Then maybe I should ask for a cut of the profit." Said IF, causing Taven to nearly fall out of his chair.

"Woah! Woah! Hold your horses! I'm still trying to pay my bills here! It wasn't easy getting a loan from the bank you know!"

"Then why didn't you accept the full reward? Now other clients will expect the same courtesy." Scolded IF. Taven growled at the criticism.

"It was a special case, alright. I just...didn't feel right taking all that money after seeing so many people...cheering for me."

That made IF raise an eyebrow, ut she decided not to pry for now. This Taven guy...he wasn't a typical mercenary, that was for sure.

He then stretched, before muttering, "Anyway, mission accomplished! I can officially declare that Devils Never Cry is open for business."

"Why 'Devils Never Cry' anyway?" Asked IF, curious as to where the name of this shop came from. Taven paused, before saying, "I don't know, it sounded cool in my head."

"Oh that's bullshit!"

Taven actually laughed at her reaction, before turning to her and asking, "Maybe...but about 'your' reason. I thought there would be some time before The Guild sent an operative to scout me out."

IF tensed. How the hell did he figure it out! Reading the surprise in her eyes, he smirked and said, "They should have sent someone low profile. Practically everyone in The Guild has heard of IF, the beautiful gust of wind or whatever you describe yourself as. Not to mention, the fact that you have all those phones."

IF groaned. Of course her phones would give her away. Taven then handed her a slip of paper and said, "Its been fun, but I have to close up shop. Give me a call if you want to hang out...for a fee of course."

IF found herself being escorted out of the shop, clutching the slip of paper in her hand before Taven shut the door behind her. For a moment, she simply stood there, but then sighed unfurled the paper, seeing a phone number.

This was going to be an interesting report.


	3. But There's Four Of You

Taven entered his office with a groan of exhaustion, straight up dropping his sword on the ground and falling unceremoniously on his sofa. "By the goddesses..." He moaned, burying his face into the soft cushions. His reputation had indeed grown after his successful mission, and he was getting contracts left and right. Hell, one time a little kid called him, offering him his entire week's allowance to save his cat from a tree.

Taven proceeded to spend the five credits buying the kid a new cat toy, just so his pet would stop running up trees.

Of course, he also got the dangerous jobs, though nothing as crazy as another dragon. Nope, just large Dogoos and Giant Squids serving as the most dangerous encounters. However, it gave him time to get used to his newfound strength. His stamina, reflexes, and agility allowed him to pull off 'stylish' combos that made his fights somewhat of a spectacle, and Taven actually found himself enjoying it.

His new sword was also pretty sweet. The fire wasn't just for show, as Taven could use that strange purple aura to manipulate and launch waves of flames towards his targets, and the weapon worked well with his improvised fighting style, in contrast to the kenjutsu his father taught, which, while effective, felt a little stiff to him.

Back in the present, Taven lifted his head, and saw an unopened box of pizza on his desk. Narrowing his eyes, he lifted his arm, and...tried to will the food over to him with his mind. Unfortunately, telekinesis 'wasn't' one of his new abilities, and he groaned before lazily rolling off of the couch, hitting the floor with a thump, and practically crawling over to the desk.

Soon, his hand was reaching for the box, and his mouth watered at the thought of devouring that delicious, cheesy first slice...when his landline suddenly rang.

"FFFFUUUUU-! Devils Never Cry." His curse was cut off the moment the phone was lifted to his ear, adopting a calm even tone.

To his surprise, it wasn't a random customer.

_"Hey Taven. When are you going to get a cellphone?"_ IF's tone was one of amusement, and Taven rolled his eyes, mentally thanking the powers that be that it 'wasn't' another contract.

"When I fully pay this place off, I'll buy something pretty. So...what up?"

_Just checking up on you. Your business is gaining attention on Nepbook you know. You have a laptop right? Set up a page. Talk to your new fans."_

Taven chuckled. "But how can I lavish my attention on you if I talk to my 'fans'?"

He could practically 'hear' her blushing as she sputtered on the other end of the line, causing him to smile.

"I'm just fucking with you Iffy. Relax."

_"Whatever you asshole."_

Now he could hear her pouting, and he grinned. IF usually visited him whenever she was in Lastation, actually offering to help him with his paperwork, and criticizing his choice in food, which was usually pizza...mostly pizza...always...don't fucking judge! Killing monsters burns a lot of calories!

Either way...she was welcome company.

"You caught me at a weird time. Just got done with a string of contracts, and...I'm exhausted."

She snickered at the whiny tone in his voice.

_"Maybe it's time for a break."_

"You know what...good idea. Tomorrow I'll take a day off. By the way...the red one."

_"Wrong, I'm using the blue one."_

"Shit. Better luck next time. Goodbye."

With that, he hung up the phone. He liked to try and guess which phone she was calling him from at the end of every conversation, considering she had so many, but had yet to guess the right phone. However, that wasn't his focus at the moment.

"Come here my precious!" He hissed, grabbing the pizza box and scampering away from the phone. Anyone who walked into the office would have been terrified to hear savage chewing and growls in a darkened corner, and might have been hissed at by Taven as he indulged in his favorite food.

**The Next Day**

(This was 'supposed' to be your day off!) Taven mentally berated himself he walked through a thick forest, sword strapped to his back as he smacked aside another branch. To his credit he tried...he really did. But then the phone rang, and Taven, bored out of his mind, decided to answer, wanting to escape. His office was comfy, sure, and it acted as his home, but he wasn't used to actually 'staying' in there for too long, as he was usually out doing jobs.

Anyway, the person who called him was some woman who called herself '**Queen**', and she offered Galen good money to head to a cave and do some scouting. An easy job, good pay, it was as close to a day off as he was going to get. So, with the **Queen** giving him the coordinates of the cave, Taven set out make some money, not knowing the machine he found himself in.

When he arrived at the cave, he became aware of the fact that he wasn't the first person to have arrived. Footprints dotted the sand in front of the cave opening, and it was hard to tell just how many people were here. With narrowed eyes, he unstrapped his sword, and stepped into the darkness, a faint glow surrounding him from the fire pulsing in the blade. "This had better not turn into another rescue mission." He muttered. He was 'really' sick of saving people from caves.

The minutes crawled by, with Taven using the light of his sword to guide him, following the footprints that were left behind by the previous explorers. The fact that there were no steps going backwards told him that they were likely still in here. Another minute passed, before he heard faint voices echoing, causing him to quicken his pace in order to meet with them and assess the situation.

(A large ass cavern. What are the fucking odds?) Thought Taven with a huge eyeroll. Of course he'd find himself in one of these! Again!

His eyes narrowed when he saw a group of...girls, it looked like? And were his eyes fucked up or was that a robot he saw? They were gathered around some sort of pedestal at the end of the cavern where a large, glowing crystal could be seen floating above. Leaping down from the overhang, the sound of his boots echoed throughout, grabbing the girls' attention as he said, "It might be my opinion, but I think you're better off leaving that alone!"

"Who are you?" Asked one of them, a small blonde girl who was riding atop the robot. Taven hefted his blade onto his shoulder and said, "Just a mercenary. But believe me when I say you should probably leave 'that' bullshit alone."

One of the others, a girl wearing a blue beret and vest that...was rather open, placed her hands on her hips and said, "If you're a mercenary, you really can't tell us what to do. So..."

"What sort of fucking logic is that!?" Snapped Taven. The third girl, who was wearing a red school outfit, actually began reaching for the crystal, and Taven's eyes widened before he broke out into a sprint towards the girls!

However, her hand touched the crystal, and a large burst of blinding light brought his charge to a halt. "Son of a bitch!" Yelled Taven, trying to peer through and see what was happening, to no avail. However, he could 'feel' an overwhelming power emanating from where the girls and that crystal had been. A few moments later, the light began to die down, and Taven was able to make out shapes in the dying light.

As soon as the last of it died down, he held his blade at the ready, but could not stop his shock at what he saw emerge from the brightness. All four of the girls had changed, not drastically, but they were now geared up and looked ready for a fight, their eyes shining with a golden hue.

And judging by how their gazes focused on him, he could only guess as to 'who' they wanted to fight.

(Damn it, Taven! This is what you get for not taking the day off!)

The girl in blue smirked and said, "Hey, you look pretty competent with that sword of yours. Care to help us test our power out?"

"I don't even know you guys!" Yelled Taven, assuming a defensive stance.

The little blonde girl hopped onto her robot, and in a cheerful tone said, "You can just call us...Gold Third!"

A silence followed.

"But there's four of you. Five, counting the robot!"

Unfortunately, the statement was ignored when they all rushed him.

**Meanwhile In Planeptune**

IF fiddled with one of her many phones, thumb hovering over the call button. She was debating on calling Taven, offering to hang out with him. Honestly, she was looking to get out of Planeptune for a little while. Histoire was feeling all sorts of stress, talking about some sort of...shifting period? IF didn't have a clue, but she needed a break from the atmosphere.

Taking one last glance at the call button, she steeled her resolve and began to lower her thumb, when she suddenly heard Histoire yell, "Neptune! Get out there and increase our shares! Now is 'the worst' time to-!"

"Aww! You broke my concentration Histy! I almost had that boss! Oh yeah! Hey Mr. Author, why am I just a cameo!? I'm the protagonist!"

And thus IF decided to just go to Taven's office personally, before Histoire lost it with Neptune.

Again.

**Back With Taven**

"Wow, you're really good!" Yelled the blonde as Taven sliced another rocket in half, the shell pieces exploding behind him and creating a huge wall of fire. Without pause, he turned and parried the sword of the white haired girl as she rushed through the fire in an attempt to strike his flank. With a grunt he pushed her back, then leapt backward, avoiding a hail of bullets from the trigger happy school girl. The moment he hit the ground, he leapt to the side, executing a roll on the ground as the brunnete girl came down from above, her fist creating a small crater where he once stood.

Rolling to a knee, he parried a punch from their damn robot, before slashing it across the chest and kicking out with his leg. His boot struck the thing in the chest, with enough force to send it flying into the far side of the cavern wall. The display of strength caused everyone to pause and stare at him in amazement, with the blond girl gulping and saying, "I'm starting to think you're 'not' just some regular guy."

Hiding his own shock, Taven got back to his feet and flourished his sword before saying, "Well...you'd be right little lady." He then pointed his sword at her and said, "I'm going to demand double my rate for this bullshit!"

The faint sound of clicking caused him to turn towards the school girl, who's fingers froze on the trigger as she saw his eyes flash red. That proved to be a mistake. Taven practically became a blur as he dashed towards her, with the blonde girl yelling, "K-Sha, run!"

To her credit, she didn't run, instead, her eyes narrowed and she crossed her guns above her head, catching Taven's sword between them, but wincing at the force of the blow, her legs shaking from the impact. How did a guy this strong come about!?

Her allies were quick to react, the white haired woman launching towards his unprotected back. Taven cursed, and using his sword's position as a handhold, he jumped, lifting his lower body up, and using the momentum to roll up and over the now named K-Sha. This caused the white haired girl to stop short, not wanting to strike her ally, and allowing Taven to trip K-Sha with a backwards leg sweep when he landed on the ground behind her.

Grabbing one of her fallen guns, he leapt back and opened fire on the rest of the 'Gold Third', causing them to scatter. However, the blonde returned fire with her bazooka, firing four rockets, and forcing Taven to halt and retreat, just barely dodging the barrage, but being blasted back by the shockwaves.

"Gahh!" He cried out, hitting the ground hard and rolling until his back struck the wall. Coughing, he looked up and saw a thick cloud of dust obscuring his view, hiding his enemies. Tasting metal, he scoffed and spit out some blood, eyes narrowing.

He could deal with monsters...but this? He really hoped that his future didn't include anymore crazy women.

_((The author takes a moment to laugh maniacally while wringing his hands in sadistic glee))_

Taking a deep breath, Taven widened his stance, angling his blade across his body and peering into the smoke. They were planning, he could tell, or else they would have rushed in by now. He decided to dig deep, drawing on his training. Blade katas were one thing, but his father had often emphasized the importance of mastering the mental focus it took to read a situation. He took a few seconds to reevaluate his position.

It was five on one. They were currently powered up by that crystal. They had long range capabilities thanks to the bazooka and school girl, and their close range fighters were nothing to scoff at. More than once he found himself backpedaling from the white haired girl's sword, or avoiding the punches and kicks of the brunette with the big boobs. Damn if she didn't have a nice pair of-

(No! Focus! Ignore those jiggle physics!) He shook his head, and then tried to think. What did he have that they didn't? Its not like he had his own...power boost...

The fight replayed in his head, and his eyes narrowed, before a deep breath escaped him. Slowly, a violet aura from before began to surround his body, and his eyes, unbeknownst to him, began glowing red.

On the other side of the smokescreen, things weren't as quiet.

"B-Sha you totally went overboard back there!" Yelled the brunnete, rounding on the cowering blonde. The now name blonde giggled nervously and said, "Sorry C-Sha, but he hurt Bandam, and I thought he was strong enough to-!"

"If he was smart, he would have run instead of fighting us head on. If he gets hurt its his own fault." Said the white haired girl emotionlessly, with B-Sha sweatdropping and saying, "Yeesh S-Sha. That's cold." In front of them, K-Sha was trying to peer through the smoke, holding her remaining gun at the ready. Her vigilance paid off, when she heard the faint click, which prompted her to open fire, much to the other's shock!

"K-Sha! Chill!" Yelled B-Sha, with the girl ceasing fire a second later. Before anyone could comment on her sudden outburst, they saw a faint purple light through the smoke, and all of their eyes widened when out stepped Taven, his sword resting on his shoulder, while he pointed K-Sha's second gun at her. His glowing red eyes looked menacing with his white hair, his body outlined by the violet aura.

Seeing their shocked expressions, he scoffed and said. "Damn right. You aren't the only ones who got a power boost, only mine didn't come from a fucking crystal."

B-Sha actually smiled and adopted a fighting stance again, glad that he was alright, and a little excited at the prospect of a tougher fight. "You're still outnumbered."

Taven tilted his head and smirked. "Maybe...but you guys just got this power. I've had a few months to get used to mine."

"Then why didn't you open with that?" Said S-Sha with a hint of frustration. Was this guy going easy on them the entire time?

"Hey, I don't whip it out until the third date 'at least'!" The implication caused the girls to blush, before K-Sha narrowed her eyes and opened fire again. At the same time, Taven returned fire, his reflexes and senses allowing him to intercept each and every one of her bullets with his own, the rounds clashing and falling to the ground.

Their eyes widened at the impossible display of accuracy, while Taven tossed aside the now empty SMG and flourished his blade, before saying, "This party's getting crazy..."

He then dashed forward, cratering the ground with the force of his step, before leaping forward, blade raised for a downward strike.

"Let's rock!" He yelled as he brought it crashing down.

**Lastation: Devils Never Cry**

"Woah! I'm surprised he actually listened to me." Muttered IF, shocked to see the neon lights shut of, the open sign switched to closed. With a shrug, she reached into her pocket and retrieved the spare key Taven gave her a few weeks back. A moment later, she stepped into the building, turning the lights on, and sighing at the all too familiar sight of pizza boxes piled next to his trash can/

"How is he not dead from the amount of pizza he eats? Better yet, how's he not sick of it?" Muttered IF, rolling up her sleeve. Minutes later, she fell on his sofa with a huff, having finished taking the pizza to the dumpster. Taking a deep breath, she sighed when she recognized his scent. It smelled like pizza of course, but beneath that, a hint of chocolate, and the faintest whiff of ash. Before she knew it, she was burying her face into the cushion, breathing deeply.

After a few moments, she opened her eyes and sat up with a start, her face a vivid red as she worked to control her breathing.

(Was I...was I just...was I actually...!?)

With a nervous cough, she decided to take a look through his kitchen. He tended to pack the pantry in case she came by, knowing she wasn't as fond of pizza as him, so he wouldn't mind if she made herself a meal. During her search however, she noticed how her coat now had his scent. With a small amount of reluctance, she took it off, and hung it on one of the chairs in front of his desk.

(I'm just, going to make some food...and wait for him. Wait, why would I wait for him? He's not my boyfriend...or anything...) She vigorously shook her head and continued searching for ingredients.

**Taven**

"Come on! You were talking all that good shit a second ago!" Yelled Taven, easily parrying a thrust from S-Sha's sword and kicking her back with a boot to the chest. He then lifted his blade in front of his face and caught the sole of C-Sha's boot as she attempted a flying kick. B-Sha was currently trying to aim her bazooka, but Taven was so close to the others at all times, making friendly fire a danger. On the other end of the battlefield, K-Sha was in the same boat, not to mention she was down a gun, so now most of the fighting was being done by C-Sha and S-Sha.

Taven ducked beneath a roundhouse, countered with a leg sweep, and dodged a counter axe kick from C-Sha by rolling to the side, then moving to slash her back during his recovery. However, his blade was stopped by S-Sha, who held him in a deadlock and glared into his eyes as he grinned. "Now that's a look you shoot your enemy!"

"We 'are' enemies!" She growled, the two breaking apart and leaping away from each other. That was what B-Sha was waiting for!

"Fire in the hole!" She yelled, rockets flying from her weapon towards Taven. With a roar, he began slicing the projectiles apart, bobbing and weaving through the hail of rockets, before leaping up into the air. That's when K-Sha struck.

With gritted teeth, she aimed her SMG, and unloaded her magazine at the airborne enemy. Thinking fast, Taven curled his body and held his sword down and in front of his, using the wide blade to deflect while he fell back to the ground. With a grunt, he found himself standing back on the overhang, looking down at the members of Gold Third.

Taking a deep breath, the aura dissipated, and his eyes stopped glowing red, returning to their cool silver. C-Sha saw this and said, "Your power just ran out."

Taven shrugged. "Hey, I never said I mastered it. Maybe next time I'll keep going until you're all satisfied."

"Must you be so vulgar?" Muttered S-Sha, while B-Sha tilted her head and asked, "Wait are you running?"

Taven strapped his sword back to his back and said, "I'm a mercenary. I know when to cut my losses. Until next time!" Giving a mock salute, he swiftly turned and disappeared from sight, leaving the girls confused.

Turning to her fellows, B-Sha asked, "Should we go after him?" A moment of silence passed, before C-Sha shook her head.

"He's a mercenary, he's not worth it." Beside her, S-Sha growled, while K-Sha was busy checking the condition of her guns. Turning to B-Sha, C-Sha gestured to the slumped form of Bandam and said, "Lets get him fixed up, then we'll think of another way to test our new powers. He was a good warm up, but I don't think we tested the limits yet."

This got her a nod from the others, and they walked over to the downed robot, though, C-Sha couldn't get the thought of the mercenary out of her head.

**Lastation: Devils Never Cry**

It was close to midnight by the time he returned to Lastation, and if he wasn't exhausted before, Taven most certainly was now. His clothes were charred, and covered in blood and dirt, meaning he'd have to get new ones. When he got to his office/home, he noticed that his door was unlocked, and his eyes narrowed, before he slowly entered. His alarm went away upon seeing just 'who' was inside. Conked out on his couch was IF, sans her signature trench coat, peacefully huddled up on the large cushions.

He quirked an eyebrow at the sight, before smirking and quietly making his way towards his own room. Two minutes later, he exited, sweatpants and a tank top, and hung his sword up on its display. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a sticky note on his microwave, and out of curiosity, he plucked the piece of paper off and read it.

_I felt generous and made you dinner. You can't just eat pizza! IF._

He chuckled, and opened the microwave, where he saw a bowl of pasta waiting. If he wasn't so exhausted, he'd dig in like a pig right now, but he could hear the bed calling his name, and he didn't want to wake IF, so he chose to save it for morning. Carefully closing it, he noticed IF's trench coat on his chair, and he smiled before picking it up, walking over to the sleeping girl, and gently covered her form, letting it act as her blanket.

To his amusement, he watched her grip the thing tightly and snuggled deeper into the sofa. Smirking, he made his way to his bedroom, and gently closed the door, before falling face first on the bed.

(Without that trench coat...she has a nice figure.) He thought, just before the darkness engulfed him.

**Next Morning**

IF woke to the sound of something sizzling, as well as the smell of something delicious wafting through the air. With a yawn she sat up and stretched her stiff muscles, though she was surprised to see her trench coat covering her like a blanket. Looking over, she saw Taven hovering over the stove, scrambling some eggs and flipping some pancakes. Were her eyes deceiving her? Was he making some actual food?

Taking a quick glance outside the window, she was relieved to see that the world didn't look like it was ending. She half expected to see yet another stack of pizza boxes next to the trashcan, as Taven's love for it rivaled Neptune's addiction to pudding. Shrugging her coat on, IF groggily asked, "What time is it?"

Taven turned to her, then said, "Its close to nine. Figured I could make you something to eat before you head out to do your guild stuff." IF smiled and took a seat in front of his desk as he quickly made her a plate of eggs and pancakes, and set it down in front of her. She quirked an eyebrow when she took a closer look at him, and said, "Call me crazy, but I think there's blood in your hair. Did you hit your head on something?"

Taven's eyes widened. (Shit, I 'knew' I missed a spot! Curse my white hair! Quick, think of something!)

"I fell down a flight of stairs."

A moment of silence followed, before the girl narrowed her eyes and said, "There aren't any stairs in here."

"At the gym, now eat before I throw `you' down a flight." Said Taven quickly, causing IF to look at him with suspicion, before she shrugged and said, "Well, as long as you're okay. Are you going to eat too?"

"I'm good. I ate the pasta you made last night."

IF nodded, fighting down the small sense of disappointment, he could have waited so they could eat together. She blushed slightly before berating herself.

(Why should I be disappointed! We aren't a couple! We don't 'have' to eat together!)

The landline began to ring as Taven prepared to clean the dishes, causing him to quirk an eyebrow as he swiftly made his way over and answered it.

"Devils Never Cry."

"I'm shocked, yet relieved that you're still kicking." Said a seductive, familiar voice. Taven's expression darkened, before he said, "You...you've got some nerve..."

IF paused in her eating, and watched as Taven actually caught an attitude with a client on the phone. Or was it a client? Could it be possible that...it was an ex-girlfriend? The thought caused a knot to grow in her gut, but she continued to listen.

"Your anger is understandable, but please understand, this was for a good cause."

"You used me! I have half a mind to-!"

"I've transferred the appropriate funds to your account. And I hope there aren't any hard feelings."

Taven scoffed and said, "Nothing you do makes up for the bullshit you pulled. Do yourself a favor and delete my number." With that, he hung up the phone, nearly slamming it down while IF stared. Noticing her look, he said, "That...was just...one of my earlier clients."

"They must have pissed you off bad." Muttered IF, while Taven sighed and said, "Yeah. Things...got complicated."

Her eyes fell to the food in front of her...complicated, huh?

He made his way back to the kitchen, and a silence fell as he began to wash the dishes, allowing IF's mind to wander. If it 'was' an ex, then that meant...he was available? Wait no! She wasn't...she didn't think of him that way. She definitely wasn't imagining him as her boyfriend! No way!

"Hey IF, do you know of any gunshops around here. I feel like having some long range options to combat we'll help me."

The sudden question broke her train of thought, though she was glad for the distraction. "Do you even know how to use a gun?"

She grinned at the annoyed look he shot her way. "Of course I do! In fact, I can shoot other people's bullets out of the air!"

"I'll believe it when I see it." Said IF, leaning back with a smug look as he growled in annoyance and began scrubbing the pots harder than before. "Look, do you know any good shops or not?"

"Not really, but I know someone who does. I'll see if her schedule is open." Taven nodded and said, "Good. Hurry up and eat so I can clean that plate." Just for that, IF took her sweet time eating.

_AN: Thank you all so much for the support! Sorry for the fustercluck about the earlier version, I'm still learning how this works._


	4. Brewing Storm

"IF..."

"Yeah?"

"This guy 'really' likes pizza."

"You have no idea."

These words were spoken between IF and Uni as she closed the door behind them. The CPU Candidate of Lastation bore a striking resemblance to her sister, with jet black hair, red eyes, and wearing a black dress with milky blue lining, with a large circle piece connecting the collar and the dress, as well as fingerless gloves and black boots.

Stepping into the office, IF, much to Uni's surprise, actually shed her coat and lazily fell onto the sofa. "It looks like he's out on a contract, so we can chill until he gets back." Said IF, with Uni taking a gander around the office. Besides the pile of pizza boxes, it reminded her of Noire's workspace. Organized, and bright enough to remain productive, though there were more decorations. A few framed letters, which upon further inspection, turned out to be letters of appreciation from the various mayors of Lastation's cities, as well as some shelves with manga stacked on top of them.

A quick glance at the covers told Uni that he was a fan of...romance? (Not what I would expect a guy to read.) She glanced at the desk, and saw a few books stacked next to a landline phone. It looked like various monster encyclopedias, and she skimmed through one and saw that there were markings on some of the pages. A crude insult to a Dogoo here, a quick tip on killing Rabbi there...as well as tips on how to cook them...huh.

Her snooping/investigating was cut off when the office door opened and in walked Taven, unstrapping his sword and making his way towards his sword stand. "Give me a heads up IF, I would have gotten the place cleaned." Uni watched the casual interaction as he hung up his sword, her eyes lingering on the blade before shifting to IF.

Without opening her eyes, IF said, "Get a cellphone and I'll shoot you a text. Its your fault for always eating pizza."

Taven chuckled, then noticed Uni, his eyes widening at the sight of her before he quickly turned to IF and said, "Umm...Iffy...why is there a CPU Candidate in my office?" Sitting up on the sofa, IF smirked and said, "Oh, she's the friend I was talking about. Out of everyone I know, she's the gun expert, so she can give you some tips on guns that I can't."

A pause followed, before Taven cautiously held out a hand and said, "Well, hello Ms. Uni, the name's Taven." Uni shook the offered hand and said, "Nice to meet you."

Taven then turned to IF and said, "As for the cellphone...I'm working on it."

"You have more than enough money to buy one now!" She shot back, before she laid back down on the couch.

"Uni, why don't you take him to the shop? I'll hold down the fort here." She said, with Taven scoffing and muttering, "More like eat the rest of my food."

"I don't 'have' to make your dinner you know!" Snapped IF, with Taven rolling his eyes. Off to the side, Uni watched the interaction with a mixture of amusement and confusion. She never would have imagined IF having such a casual conversation with a guy. Hell, if she didn't know any better, she'd assume that they were dating or something. IF was even cooking for him!

Pretty soon, Taven and Uni made their exit, leaving IF alone, in the quiet office. For the first five minutes, she sat on the sofa, slightly inhaling Taven's lingering scent. She'd accepted that she was fond of the scent...but that was it! It didn't mean anything. She thought about surfing the web on one of her phones, but decided against it after she couldn't decide which one to use. Then, her eyes fell on Taven's sword.

Now that she thought about it...she never even touched the thing whenever the two worked together, and despite it being a long blade, he used it with such ease. Curiosity got the better of her, and she went up to the blade, her eyes tracing the liquid flames in the center, before her hand reached for the hilt.

Her eyes widened when she felt how warm to the touch it was. It looked like the flames weren't just for show. However, instead of a light blade, she found herself nearly dropping it upon lifting it off the rack on the wall. The tip hit the wooden floor, a small tongue of flame singing it, and causing IF, to take a few deep breaths, before she slowly hefted the blade up of the floor.

(This thing is like...thirty pounds! How does he swing it so easily!?) She thought. Undeterred, she attempted a few practice swings, widening her stance in order to keep her balance as she performed a clunky and flashy kata.

Near the end however, she noted that the handle had suddenly gone from feeling warm, to feeling like she was touching a hot stove, forcing her drop the sword with a yelp, and nurse her burnt hands. The skin was red, and her fingers twitched from the pain as she regarded the fallen sword with a cautious expression.

(What the hell was 'that'? Its as if it...rejected me. Maybe it only recognizes Taven?) Even so, she moved to pick it up, but stopped short of grabbing the handle when she felt the heat coming off of it. Thankfully, it wasn't doing anything to the floor, so IF decided to leave it be for the meantime, hissing in pain as she saw small blisters on her hand. Perhaps its just needed time to cool off. With a sigh, she made her way over to the kitchen, hoping to grab some ice to nurse her burn.

**Meanwhile**

"So tell me what you're looking for." Said Uni as she and Taven entered a shop named 'Walking Arsenal', and Taven found himself feeling...out of his element. His eyes drifted to the far end, where he saw some RPG's being displayed, and he got flashbacks to a certain bazooka toting girl. Noticing his scowl, Uni followed his gaze and quirked an eyebrow. Did this guy not like heavy firepower?

Taven shook his head and decided to quickly answer Uni's question. "I guess...I'm looking for something that fits my style. I move around a lot on the battlefield, and I often get contracts on the border, so maybe...something that packs a decent punch...but shoots fast, and is small enough not to be a hassle."

Uni nodded, before turning to the vacant register and yelling, "Sammy!" Taven quirked an eyebrow, and was about to ask who 'Sammy' was, when he suddenly heard a loud bang from the back room. A moment later, a woman suddenly rushed out, and aimed a SMG at the two of them!

"Give me all your money! I killed the owner! Don't think I won't kill you!" Taven's eyes widened, before he leapt in front of Uni, shielding her as the woman pulled the trigger. For a moment, Taven heard only the 'ratatatat!' of the gun going off, and shut his eyes tight as he braced for the pain. Instead, he felt nothing, and once the sound died down, all he could hear was...laughter?

Confused, he opened his eyes, and saw the woman leaning against the register, laughing her ass off! The fuck!

"Y-your face! Oh my goddess! You actually thought...! Ahahaha!"

Feeling less than amused, Taven growled and yelled, "What the fuck!? What is wrong with you!?" His irritation grew when he saw that the 'gun' was obviously a toy, which imitated the sound of a gun firing. He turned to Uni, and saw that she was shaking her head, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Now that his life wasn't in danger...at the moment...Taven was allowed to get a better look at her. She was young woman with long black hair, styled in a high ponytail, and a braid on the right side of her face, fair skin, and light brown eyes bordering amber gold. She wore a grey vest over a white short-sleeved shirt, black and white camo pants, and combat boots. She had a noticeable scar over her nose.

Taven looked back and forth between the two, with Uni deciding to clear the air.

"Taven, allow me to introduce Samantha...former bounty hunter, and Lastation's 'Master of Arms'. Before she 'retired'...she was number one for number of bounties collected for five seasons."

The now named Samantha crossed her arms and said, "Oh don't sugarcoat it Uni, I was kicked out for...get this...`being too extreme'. Which I say is bullshit."

"Dismemberment and maiming 'is' extreme." Said Uni, with Taven giving the woman a 'WTF' look. Samantha blew a raspberry, before glancing at Taven and asking, "So, what's your deal? You looking to blow something...or someone up?"

Taven glanced at Uni, an eyebrow raised. Uni, in turn, simply waved at him to go on. Sighing, he turned to Samantha and said, "I'm a mercenary...and I thought it was time to...vary my combative capability."

Uni, meanwhile, decided to leave the two be, wanting to browse the wares.

**Devils Never Cry**

IF was currently surfing the web on her phone, regretting her decision to not join Taven. Now that she thought about it, she 'did' spend a lot of time at the shop. IF she wasn't careful, people would start to think she and Taven were dating. The thought made her sigh, as she closed all her tabs and muttered, "Like that would ever happen." It was hard to tell if she was saying that with disbelief, or regret. She stared at the makeshift bandages around her hands, and stared down at the sword on the floor. She had yet to even attempt to place it back where it belonged.

Scowling, she laid back on the sofa and allowed her mind to wander. Taven and her...would that even work. They shared similar interests, such as hunting monsters, exploring, the occasional manga. He could cook, despite all the unhealthy food he ate, and they often engaged in small talk, with IF telling him about her friends, and Taven telling her about his childhood, describing himself as a little delinquent. The fact that he dropped out of school never registered to her honestly, as he was pretty good at running his business.

The times he flirted with her also allowed these thoughts to become more frequent. Without her expecting it, Taven often commented that she had a 'rocking bod', and that he liked a girl who stayed in shape. He like to joke about her legs too, saying they...and here she blushed...looked delicious.

There was also that time she saw him in nothing but a towel, having come in one day at the end of his shower. Now, she wasn't a pervert...but she could not stop herself from licking her lips at the sight of his toned physique, shining with water that had yet to dry. When he caught her staring, he simply said, "I 'did' just get done showering...but if you want~."

Back in the present, IF noticed that her tongue was actually licking her lips now, and she quickly slapped herself.

(Nope! Bad! No thinking about your friend like that! Do 'not' trigger the H-Scene flag!)

Fortunately/Unfortunately, someone began banging on the door and IF narrowed her eyes, before sighing and making her way to the door. She should really start asking for minimum wage at this point, she was pretty much his secretary.

The moment she did however, she was met with a fist to the face, the force of which was powerful enough to send the girl flying back into Taven's desk and shattering it. A hooded figure, likely a woman considering the slim and slender frame of their physique, stepped into the shop, and seemed to wince as she saw that IF was unconscious.

"Ohh...'that' might have been a little much. Meh." A loud growl from outside caused her to scoff and turn towards the source. "Quiet! He's not here anyway, it looks like we just missed him."

She then made her way inside, and grabbed IF's unconscious form, proceeding to drag her back towards the entrance. "In fact, how about I give you a leg up? Knowing you...you'll need it."

A loud growl answered her, followed by a low and guttural, **"Spaarda." **

At this, the woman grinned, and said, "I'll be watching, don't disappoint."


	5. Get The Horns

"Your friend is a maniac." Muttered Taven as he and Uni walked down the street, This time, with Taven wearing a gun strap beneath his jacket. Strapped to either side of his waist were his new pistols, which he decided to name Heavenly and Silence. His naming choice alone got him a ten percent discount from Samantha, with the shop owner saying, "I appreciate a man who names his babies." She actually took measurements of his hands, and actually tested his grip strength before she disappeared in the back room. He heard the sound of metal clinking and her short disapproving mutters as she frantically searched for what looked to be gun pieces and within half an hour, she assembled the two pistols. They looked more like pistols from some fantasy game, but after Taven tested them on the range, he could honestly say they were worth every credit.

_((For an image, look up the pistols from the game: Wings Of Atreia))_

For some reason however, as Samantha helped him put on the straps, she winked and whispered, "You'll need them."

That was weird.

"She is...rather eccentric, but she knows her stuff." Said Uni, taking a moment to study this guy. She could see why IF liked him. Despite being a mercenary, he had integrity, and he didn't hesitate to jump in front of her when Samantha pulled her prank, fully intending to take a swarm of bullets for her. However, she knew that when Neptune eventually finds out, IF was going to be subject to a 'ton' of teasing.

Just as they turned the corner towards the office however, Taven froze, and Uni's eyes widened in shock. A large crowd was gathered, some filming on their phones, while others were murmuring or screaming in shock. Lastation police had set up a perimeter around the shop, and standing before the terrified officers was a large, bipedal bull with brown fur, a white Mohawk, and a muscular physique stood wearing a black steel shoulder guard. A long thick tail could be seen behind the creature. In its right hand it held a double sided axe with a red jewel in the centerpiece. Even its horns were armored, and it regarded the terrified people with glowing, blood red eyes, intimidating all considering it was tall enough to clear a large truck. A Minotaur!

Taven's surprise then turned to rage as he saw, "IF!"

In the beast's left hand, an unconscious IF could be seen, being held by the collar of her trench coat between the creature's fingers. Uni mirrored his reaction, and yelled, "Why you! Let her go!" Taven cursed leaving his sword behind, and he didn't want to use his guns in case he hit IF, so...

He growled and began to walk forward, causing the gathered crowd of civilians to stare at him in shock. "Hey! Kid! Get back here!" Yelled a man, though Taven didn't give a damn and actually brushed past one of the officers, Uni following close behind. Upon seeing them, the senior officer yelled, "Lady Uni! Please leave this to us!"

Uni shook her head. "Can't do that. That's my friend he has in his hand." The man then pointed to Taven, who caught the beasts attention as he stopped in front of the creature, with only a few meters between them. "Then what about him?"

Uni saw that the beast made no move to attack, despite Taven clearly being in range of its axe. Taven's gaze was fixed solely on the unconscious girl the monster held. "You've got a lot of nerve...you know that Bruno?" Growled Taven, with the Minotaur only huffing and growling in turn. Then, before anyone could react, the monster reared back its axe!

Taven was already leaping to the side just as it came down, with debris flying up into the air upon impact. Rolling to a stop on its right side, Taven leapt upwards, easily clearing the distance and grabbing the hair of the beast's Mohawk. With a roar the Minotaur began to thrash about, dropping IF and attempting to grab at Taven. With gritted teeth, Taven ducked beneath the grasping fingers, and with a roar of his own he rolled towards the back of its head, hair still in his hands and pulled down with all he had. To the absolute shock of everyone watching, the monster's body actually lifted 'off' the ground, and it was sent flying backwards!

Its body spinning, the Minotaur went crashing into Devils Never Cry, causing the building to collapse in on itself, and burying it under debris, Taven himself landed smoothly on his feet in a crouched position. Uni saw something glowing fly up into the air, as Taven straightened his posture before holding his hand up, and catching his sword without looking up. The crowd was in a frenzy at this point, now cheering Taven on as he strapped his sword to his back and bent down to pick up IF.

Uni, her mouth agape in shock, could only watch as Taven carried IF bridal style towards her, his face set in a stern glare. An officer ran forward, with Taven saying, "Get everyone out of here. This is far from over."

"You 'threw' it through a building! How can it get up after that!?" Asked Uni in disbelief. However, as if to mock her, the pile of debris suddenly exploded, and the Minotaur bellowed loudly as it wildly swung its axe around, blood flowing down its face. That was enough to finally make the citizens run away screaming, with the officers opening fire with their guns. Without a hostage, their was no need to refrain.

To her credit, Uni was quick to join the fray, aiming her rifle and assisting the police. Turning to the officer holding IF, Taven said, "Get her to the hospital! Now!"

Not wanting to argue with someone who could flip a damn bull monster with his bare hands, the man quickly ran to the nearest squad car, while Taven unstrapped his sword and watched as the monster simply stood and took the bullets, getting only small wounds from each bullet that landed. The monster stomped its hoof twice and lowered its head, causing Taven's eyes to widen before he yelled, "Get the fuck out of dodge!"

The Minotaur's nostrils flared, before it dashed forward with surprising speed, creating shallow craters with each step and practically kicking up cinderblocks! Taven and Uni leapt to opposite sides, while the officers quickly scattered, shouting in alarm as the Minotaur charged right through their blockade of cars, sending them flying. Seeing one of the cars falling down towards a pair of cops, Taven leapt forward and delivered a flying kick to the roof, causing it to veer off towards the Minotaur's back.

Wit a bellow, it spun around, swinging its axe and splitting the car in two as Taven landed in front of the men he saved. "Get out of here! We'll handle this!" The two men nodded and scrambled away, as Taven held his sword at the ready. The Minotaur shook its head, some steam coming out of its nostrils as its eyes began to glow brighter.

A loud gunshot sounded, and the beast stumbled as its head lurched to the side, struck by a powerful projectile, and causing both it and Taven to turn and see Uni aiming down the sight of her rifle. Smirking, Taven began to dash forward, once again grabbing the beast's attention. With a roar it raised it swung its axe, trying to cut him in half from the waist, though the boy easily leapt up and over, before landing on its shoulder and driving his sword into its arm. With a bellow it swung a fist towards him with its free hand, but Taven quickly somersaulted over the fist and slashed its wrist as he passed.

Before the Minotaur could recover, four shots rang, and it was sent stumbling back thanks to the powerful shots from Uni's rifle. "Nice sniping!" Yelled Taven, getting a grin from his nation's CPU Candidate. "It helps that he's not the sharpest bull in the herd!"

Taven grinned, then glared at the beast as it righted itself and glared at the two of them. It began stomping its hooves and slamming its axe to the ground over and over again, roaring in obvious rage. "Is he seriously throwing a tantrum!?" Questioned Uni, though both her and Taven's eyes widened when a red aura began to surround the monster's body, in a way Taven found very familiar.

"I think its going super!" Yelled Taven, with Uni reloading her clip and muttering, "Why did Noire have to leave 'today'!?" Taven himself wouldn't mind if Lady Black Heart showed up at this moment and stole this kill. Ceasing its flailing, the Minotaur growled, its muscles bulging with veins as the red aura seeped out of its body. Seeming to stand straighter, the beast began to approach the two, with Taven placing his sword on his back and unstrapping his pistols.

Both Uni and Taven began to open fire, a swarm of bullets striking the monster's body, but to their shock, barely having any effect. Even the powerful shots Uni was firing before were proving useless, barely piercing its thick hide.

With a curse Taven put his guns away, realizing that they were no good, before he brought his sword to his hand and braced himself. To his and Uni's shock however, the beast pointed its axe at them, and actually spoke!

**"SPAAAARDAA!"**

The red gem in the creature's axe flashed, before a red wave of energy shot out, heading right towards-!

"UNI!" Yelling her name, Taven actually leapt to intercept the blast, much to Uni's shock. An explosion of red energy followed as it crashed into Taven, and he was blown backwards from the force of the attack, blood spraying as his body went flying into the side of a police car!

The vehicle tilted from the impact, before it fell back down, causing Taven to fall and roll away from the car.

"T-Taven!" Yelled Uni, as the beast roared in apparent victory, beating its chest as Uni ran over to Taven. Just as she reached him, his eyes opened and he coughed up a glob of blood. "Man, feels like I got hit by a car!" To her absolute astonishment, Taven slowly, but surely got back to his feet, knees wobbly as he used his sword as a crutch.

"H-how are you...how are you...?!"

Taven chuckled and said, "Not too bad."

He chuckled again at his lame attempt at a joke.

Uni stared open mouthed as he craned his neck to the left, then the right, audible pops being heard before he began to walk towards the still celebrating Minotaur. When it spotted Taven, it ceased its dancing and made what sounded like the bull equivalent of 'WTF!'

Seeing its red eyes widen, Taven chuckled, lazily placing his sword on his shoulder and saying, "Not gonna lie...you're giving that Ancient Dragon a run for its money. But..."

He slammed his sword on the ground, a gout of flame erupting and turning the street asphalt into lava. An all too familiar burst of power, tinged with bloodlust, flowed throughout his body, his eyes turning blood red and glowing, as a violet aura surrounded him. To Uni's surprise, the wing designs on his pistols actually seemed to move as they too were engulfed in the aura, the jewels on the side glowing somewhat before Taven said, "...I think its time to end this."

And suddenly he disappeared in a flash of speed, and the Minotaur swiftly brought up the shaft of its axe to protect itself, just as Taven reappeared in the air in front of it! With a roar he brought the sword down, and to Uni's shock, the force of the blow actually caused the beast to skid backwards. Taven, seeing this, licked the blood off of his lower lip, before his expression turned near maniac.

Seeing this, the Minotaur roared and yelled, **"SPARDA!"**

"Don't know who 'Sparda' is...but I'm done hearing you talk." Said Taven, disappearing again. A loud clang of steel filled the air as Taven's sword actually met the beast's axe. Taven didn't seem to register the blow, and swung his sword again, and again, loud clangs following each clash of the weapons. Uni watched as this simple mercenary, was matching a giant monster blow for blow! And did he say he fought an Ancient Dragon!?

"Hey Uni!" Yelled Taven suddenly, breaking her out of her stupor. Seeing he had her attention, he said, "Take out his eyes would ya'?"

Nodding, Uni steeled herself and forced her focus down her sights as she aimed, watching as Taven continued to meet the monsters attacks and waiting for the right moment. On his end, Taven found himself leaping around his enemy, dodging the deadly axe swift dodges and leaps, all while delivering smaller slashes of his own, the wounds being more painful as Taven manipulated the flames of his sword and burned the Minotaur's fur.

With each miss of its axe, the beast grew more and more enraged, bellowing before each swing and roaring whenever Taven slashed its body. "Wide open!" Yelled Taven as landed a swift slash on the monster's lower leg, causing it to buckle and forcing it to fall to its knees. That was when Uni took the shot, firing one round and wincing slightly in sympathy as the Minotaur roared in agony, one hand reaching for the bleeding socket that was once its left eye.

Suddenly, its body lurched, and Uni watched as it was dragged on the street, spinning in a circle for a few seconds before the spinning lifted its body up off the ground, revealing that it was Taven swinging the monster around by its tail.

With a mighty yell, Taven released the monster, watching as it sored in the air, releasing its axe, before it crashed into an abandoned garbage truck. Taven shifted his body slightly to avoid the creature's axe as it too fell down, the large weapon sticking to the ground behind him after its second bounce, right in front of Uni.

A tense moment passed, with the two waiting for the Minotaur to move. Instead, only low growling came from the ruined garbage truck, with Taven glancing back at Uni and saying, "Nice shot."

"Nice throw." She responded. He smirked, the violet aura fading and his eyes changing back, before a serious expression appeared, and he began to make his way towards the Minotaur, to Uni's confusion.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

He responded by unstrapping his sword from his back and saying, "Double tap."

He didn't spare a second glance to see her reaction. Instead, his gaze was focused on the still groaning monster that had the nerve...the 'balls' to hurt 'his' friend, 'his' Iffy! The Minotaur didn't move as he reached it, and it didn't move when he began walking up the length of its body until he was on top of its chest, staring down at its one good eye.

"Well, now you smell the way you look." He said, drawing his sword to finish it off. "Any last words?"

With a low growl, the beast groaned out, **"Ssspaaarda!"**

Taven scoffed at that. "Figured as much."

Then he drove his sword down into its chest, feeling his blade pierce the heart. Instead of a scream, the Minotaur gave one last death groan, before its head lolled to the side, and its body went limp. A moment later, the body began to disintegrate, however, something surprising happened.

The creature's blood seemed to seep out of its wounds, and to Taven's surprise, his sword began to absorb the blood! As it was doing this, his sword began to...change. That's when Uni arrived, catching the tail end of the weapon's transformation. A moment later, Taven was no longer holding a sword.

With a flash of red light, the sword became a large, bearded battleaxe with a red and black color scheme, and appearing...'demonic' in origin. Like his sword, it too appeared to be glowing with a great power.

_((Arbiter from DMC reboot.))_

A long moment of silence passed, before the axe suddenly shifted, and with another flash of red light, it changed back into its sword from. Taven and Uni shared a look, before he slowly strapped it to his back and said, "Well...'that' was...a thing." Uni could only nod, keeping her expression neutral. Her mind, on the other hand...

(IF, just 'what' kind of friend is he!? I don't know any other guy who can do...'that'! He can fight and throw large monsters, and he survived being blasted into a car!)

She was broken out of her musings when she heard, "...Uni! Hey! You're looking a little lost there." Shaking her head, she crossed her arms and muttered, "P-please! I was just thinking about the paperwork this is going to cause! Not to mention how our shares will drop!"

Taven winced, and glanced at the ruined truck behind him. "Ohhh...right. Tell you what...why don't 'you' take credit for taking him down?"

Uni quirked an eyebrow at that. "Why?"

"Well, your shares should stay up if the people believe that their CPU Candidate was able to take down a monster."

Uni narrowed her eyes, not too comfortable with lying. Seeing this, Taven said, "Look, you shot its eye out, so...you got a headshot! Boom! No lying, no loss shares! Now..."

To her confusion, he began to walk down the street, away from the ruined office of Devils Never Cry. "Where are you going?"

"The hospital. I need to make sure IF is okay."

Eyes widening, Uni huffed and said, "Hey, wait up!"

**Meanwhile**

"So, in the end, you couldn't do it. Totally called it." The hooded woman who'd knocked out IF crossed her arms and glared down at the ruined battlefield. She 'had' contemplated following the car that took the girl to the hospital...in order to remove witnesses. But she decided against it. Taven would find out everything soon enough, and honestly, the brute's yelling of Sparda would raise the right questions.

She had to admit, he was far stronger than she thought he would be, considering his mother, and from the look of things, it seemed that he was just now tapping into the power of his blood, a power she planned to take advantage of.

"Nothing will interfere with our plans."


	6. Why I Did It

IF opened her eyes with a groan, eyes squinting as they were suddenly hit with bright lights. Then she winced as she felt her head throb. (Yeesh, what the hell hit me!?) She thought, bringing a hand up to her head. She was quick to register that she was in a bed, and Compa had taken her to enough hospital rooms, so IF was quick to realize where she was.

"Bout time you woke up." Said a voice next to her. IF's eyes widened, before she turned to see Taven, sitting next to her hospital bed, reading the latest issue of Famitsu Magazine. "Taven?"

He smiled and nodded, putting the magazine down on the desk next to him.

"You were hit pretty hard from what the doctors told me. But I knew you were too hardheaded to stay down for long." IF scowled, before she noticed that he was covered in blood!

"You look worse than me! Why aren't 'you' in here?"

"How many jobs have we done together now? You've 'seen' my healing factor. Besides, I've got something else to show you."

Unstrapping his sword, which IF was surprised he was allowed to keep, Taven held it out in front of him, and to her shock, she watched as the weapon was engulfed into a red light. When it died down, it revealed that the sword was now an axe!

"Since when could it do that?" She asked. Taven chuckled darkly, eyes flashing red briefly, though she failed to notice, staring at the weapon.

"After I stabbed that bastard's heart, it absorbed the blood and...just transformed. I've been trying to figure out how to switch its forms until you woke up."

Leaning the axe against the wall, he adopted a serious look and asked, "Are you alright Iffy?"

She nodded, but winced as the action brought her pain. Taven softly placed a hand behind her head and laid her down on the pillows. "Try and avoid moving your head." He then noticed the makeshift bandages on her hands, and his eyes narrowed as he poked her left hand and asked, "So, did the bastard do this too?"

To his surprise, IF was actually blushing as she turned her face away from him and murmured something.

"Come again?"

"I...might have tried practicing...with your sword. It...burned me."

A few seconds of silence passed, before Taven suddenly busted out laughing.

"Ahahahahahahaha! You! You tried to...! Oh goddesses! Ahahaha!"

With a massive blush on her face, IF growled and said, "Whatever! Stop laughing!"

Taven actually began fighting down his laughter, though his shoulders were still shaking as he tried to contain himself, which was hard to do as he watched IF glare at him. Finally, it seemed like he had composed himself, and he smiled at his friend.

"Say...since you told me something embarrassing, why don't I do the same?" That caused her to quirk an eyebrow, before she shrugged and said, "Sure...whatever."

Smirking, he asked, "You remember asking why I named my shop 'Devils Never Cry'?"

Now he had her attention. IF turned to him, trying to keep the surprise off her face, and failing. She always 'knew' there was a reason, a personal one at that. Seeing he had her attention, he continued, looking out the window where the sun was beginning to set.

"I told you that my dad owned a dojo. But, unlike most, he decided to set it in the worst part of the city we lived in. Crime was pretty rampant, but my dad wanted to help the kids, the next generation...'wake up to justice'. He figured, if he taught the next generation discipline and honor, the people who lived in the 'bad neighborhood' would reform themselves. Truth be told, its a good goal...pretty heroic even..."

He turned to IF, and his eyes...they seemed to lose that light they always held, the mirth dimming as he recalled his past.

"Growing up, seeing the crimes committed, people being hurt, you can say that I too 'woke up to justice'...but a more...'outgoing' form of it. I started getting into fights. At first, it was the bullies who lived on my street. Then, the gang members who wandered the neighborhood at night. By the time I was ten, I was getting into knife fights with grown men who tried to mug me."

That shocked IF, and Taven closed his eyes, clasping his hands together and resting his chin on the fingers. "A kid that young...brandishing a knife? The other kids started calling me 'Devilboy', and their parents started spreading rumors. They said I was a monster who took a child's body, who went out at night and hunted the innocent, despite the opposite being true. Then, one day...it happened."

His eyes opened, and IF flinched at the haunted look he had. His expression was unreadable, but his hands were grasped tightly.

"What...happened?"

"I killed a man."

The finality of that statement practically froze time, and a full minute of silence passed, before he sighed and continued.

"I was walking home from school, a note from the school in my pocket after I got into another fight. Suddenly, I heard screaming...and I looked up to see a man holding a gun up to a pregnant woman. He was demanding money, in broad daylight. He looked rabid, I thought he was just going to pull the trigger. So, I reached into my pocket, and I threw it. I was aiming for his leg, or his stomach...but...I actually got him in the throat."

He closed his eyes again, and IF saw his shoulders shaking somewhat as he forced himself to continue. "In broad daylight, without meaning to, I killed a man. A scumbag? Sure, but I'm the one who did it. The police came by, and I thought I was going to be taken to the madhouse, until...the woman I saved told them that 'she' killed the man, that the knife was hers. My dad...he knew what really happened, but he was grateful I wouldn't be taken away. However..."

He stopped when IF laid her bandaged hand on his, and he looked up as she said, "You...don't have to continue."

With a low chuckle, he said, "I'm almost done."

Reluctantly...she nodded, but kept her hands on his as he continued.

"The police thought the woman defended herself, but everyone else who saw what happened...they made sure I didn't forget. They made it seem like I killed an innocent man, and the kids began to outright avoid me. My dad began to smother me, trying to keep me from ever leaving the house. One day, it all became too much, and I broke down crying in the middle of the street. No one stopped to see if I was okay...no one cared.

Instead, I heard a little girl ask, "Mommy, why is the Devilboy crying?" The mother merely pulled her along and said, "Don't be ridiculous, Devils never cry.""

With his tale done, he looked up, with some life returning to his eyes after his trek through memory lane was finished.

A long...'long' silence fell between the two. IF's face remained neutral as she stared at him, and he simply sat and waited for her response. He was expecting everything except, a hug. IF was hugging him, and he felt her rub his back as she said, "Taven, you're 'not' a Devil."

He sighed at that, as they separated.

"And how do you know that IF?"

To his surprise, she held his face in her hands, and brushed her thumbs beneath his eyes, where he felt something wet.

Tears...he was crying?

With a small smile, IF showed the boy the teardrop she'd collected on her thumb and said, "Because Taven...Devils never cry."


	7. Roommates

"Oh the things people will say...letting a 'guy' move in with you." Said Taven with a chuckle, as IF blushed and said, "J-just shut up and help me!" With a grin he bent down and easily hefted the large suitcase she tried to lift. To be fair, it 'was' the heaviest, carrying his sword. He glanced at her, grinning, while she stared back at him with a blush on her face, before she scoffed and walked past him towards the house. With an amused shake of the head, he followed the girl inside.

The Guild had decided to give IF the month off, giving her plenty of time to help Taven move in and adjust.

The house itself was rather large, about two stories and was a light tan in color, with a balcony on the right side, over a small patio that was fenced off from the street. A few trees and bushes hugged the edges, with a few more houses flanking the home. Once he was inside, Taven sighed and took a moment to think on his new circumstance.

When IF learned that his business had been destroyed, she practically demanded that he pack up and move in with her until it was repaired. He still remembered how red her face turned when she realized what she said, and he said, "You don't have to-!"

"No! You 'will not' sleep on the streets! Not while I can help it. Once I'm out of here, you're coming with me to Planeptune!" So he did, and he had to say, it was his first time actually getting a good look at the capital city. Apparently, IF was friends with the nation's CPU, and she said that she would try to get his business up and running again with her nation's help.

"Why would Lady Purple Heart help a rival nation?" Taven had asked, with IF grinning when they were riding the train. "She's good friends with Noire, and Histoire, her oracle, would probably use it as a PR move, making Planeptune seem benevolent and increase their shares."

So now, here they were, with Taven setting his belongings down on the carpet floor of an empty room. What few things he managed to gather from the wreckage would allow him to continue his monster hunting, earning an income so he could help out around the house. Taking a moment, he thought, (At least this will net me some clients in Planeptune. Most of my jobs 'were' in Lastation.)

He then groaned as he remembered digging through the wreckage of his shop, cursing himself fro throwing the Minotaur through his home. However, rational thought was the last thing that concerned him when he saw IF, unconscious in the bastard's hands. As long as she was safe, he could stand some property damage.

(Still...I 'just' finished paying the loan off!)

A minute later, IF walked in, saw Taven fiddling with a wall outlet, trying to connect his landline phone so that he could get calls. With a grin, she reached into her back pocket and tossed an object towards his back. Without turning, he caught it, and brought it in front of his face, eyes widening. It was a cellphone. He turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"I think its about time you had a phone Taven. Now you can call me whenever you want."

Grinning, he asked, "Do you promise to come running every time?" IF blushed, before huffing and walking down the hallway.

Once he was alone again, he stared down at his reflection on the phone's screen, and sighed. Its been half a year since he left home, his father, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss it sometimes. He said some pretty harsh things, and he practically severed any familial ties between them both.

(I wonder if he misses me...even though I was the resident 'devil'.) IF's words came back to him suddenly. _"Devils never cry."_

That...had been the lowest he felt in years, rivalling the anguish he felt when he killed the thug all those years ago. However, unlike last time, someone was next to him, and that person...was IF. He was...no longer sure about the status of his relationship with IF. He'd never opened himself up like that...but...he didn't feel bad for doing so.

Before he could dwell any further on the subject, the landline began to ring. Taven stared at the device for a few seconds, before exhaling, and allowing a small smile to grace his face as he picked it up and lifted the receiver to his lips.

"Devils Never Cry."

**Week One**

The sleeping situation had been...interesting, with the two actually sharing her bed.

((Cue Neptune emoji with a mischevious lenny face, eyebrows bouncing in a knowing manner. Its not like that Neptune, go and eat some pudding or something!))

The first few nights were awkward, and they slept on the far sides from the bed, which was difficult considering it was barely big enough to fit them both. However, she didn't mind the extra heat, and she often woke up and was surprised to see that she had scooted closer to him. IF was often teased about it, as Taven woke up one morning and saw that she was nearly snuggling up to him.

"If you wanted to snuggle all you had to do was ask."

"Can you shut up!? Go and kill some monsters or something!" Yelled IF as she sat down at the table, eating a regular breakfast while Taven devoured some leftover pizza.

Seriously, he needed some help with that addiction. However, she agreed to not interfere with his eating habits, as long as he immediately threw away any empty boxes. It didn't stop the strange looks she got from her neighbors when they saw a ridiculous amount of pizza boxes piling in the dumpster.

**Week Two**

"I've got it!" Said Taven suddenly, eyes lighting up as IF jumped next to him in shock. "Give a girl warning next time!" She said with narrowed eyes, having nearly dropped her phone.

((Lenny face Neptune creeping in from the corner. Author-san slowly pulling out an eggplant, terrifying the strange being and causing it to run away.))

With an annoyed huff, IF asked, "What exactly did you get?"

Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Taven said, "I thought of a name for my sword. I'll call it...Alucard."

((In the distance, and all too familiar laugh began to echo, sounding like a well known fuckmothering vampire.))

"Isn't that just Dracula backwards?" Asked IF incredulously. She glanced over to where the sword was hanging, and said, "It doesn't look like a vampire sword."

"It sucks up blood though. Think about it...its turned into a flame sword after it absorbed the Ancient Dragon's blood, then an axe after I killed the stupid bull."

Detecting a little bit of salt in his tone regarding the Minotaur, IF had to agree. The blade 'did' have a habit of absorbing the blood of its slain enemies, which sounded really messed up now that she thought about it. Taven then chuckled and said, "Imagine if it absorbed a Granddogoo."

"Please don't try it..." She groaned, though she couldn't stop the smirk from growing on her face at the thought of a sword shaped Dogoo.

Then she shuddered as she imagined the blade growing tentacles and getting...inappropriate.

**1 Month**

Work began to pick up, and IF found herself feeling strange whenever she saw him off on his contracts. Without fail, Taven poked his cheek every time and asked, "Can I get a goodbye kiss Honey?" Before heading out the door. Instead of a kiss, IF either ignored him, or flipped the bird, causing him to smirk before he headed out. When his back was turned however, she couldn't stop the blush that grew on her cheek, and her imagination from running wild.

For a moment, she pictured the two of them giving each other a chaste kiss, before Taven would head out to complete a contract, like a soldier promising a loved one that he would come home. However, that thought was shattered by IF frantically shaking her head and muttering, "Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope! Don't go there Iffy!"

She couldn't stop the swelling of her heart however.

**Three Weeks Later**

Some time passed, with Taven currently doing small exercises in his room. He had his own bed now, something he thought IF would be grateful for, or, at least he thought she would. She looked downright sad as she watched the delivery men pull the bed frame in through the door. Was she honestly sad that they would no longer be sleeping together in the same bed?

With a shake of the head, Taven stopped doing push ups and sat cross-legged in the center of the room. (Women...they'll forever remain a mystery.)

Speaking of mystery...Taven had decided to frequent the library, and much to his confusion, couldn't turn up anything on this so called 'Sparda'. It was bothering him, honestly. The Minotaur's only words throughout the battle had been that name, and Taven noticed that throughout the fight, it was dead-set on killing only him, ignoring Uni almost entirely. Did he look like this 'Sparda' guy? And what did Sparda do to get on the horned bastard's shit list?

(Not to mention...it seemed capable of tapping into some sort of power, the same ability I have.) Sighing, he fell onto his back, eyes closed in deep thought. He would really like some answers, and he was sure they were out there...be he had no fucking idea on where to start.

A soft click alerted him that his door was opening, and he opened his eyes to see IF, sans the trench coat.

Call him a pervert, but by the goddesses...Taven would totally hit that. She was lean and fit, her body suit showing her curves and accentuating her figure. He'd seen her move on the battlefield, and knew that she was flexible as well as strong and skilled, traits he found incredibly sexy. He felt something stir within his being, something more than lust...a desire.

She looked down at him and asked, "You wouldn't happen to know how to fix the air conditioning would you?"

(If breaking it means you stop wearing that coat and show more of that creamy skin...woah! Down Taven! You are 'not' that type of man!)

With a cough, he smirked and said, "Please. You obviously turned it off to make me take off my clothes."

To her credit she didn't blush, IF simply rolled her eyes and said, "I'll take that as a 'no' then." She then walked down the hall towards the kitchen, intending to grab some ice cream to cool off.

Five minutes later, she heard a small explosion, causing her vanilla popsicle to slide across her face when she jumped in shock. She ran through the house towards the source, and to her shock, saw a singed Taven laying down in the hall, blasted backwards from the explosion of the AC's main console, eyes shut as his body was hit with the stinging feeling of pins and needles. With a cough, he muttered, "Shit it 'was' broken!"

"What did you do?!"

He shrugged. "Tried to fix it." That's when he opened his eyes, and saw the mess on IF's face. Needless to say, it looked 'more' than a little lewd, the white cream trailing from her mouth and down her chin. That inner desire practically went berserk, demanding that he 'do what must be done'.

Slowly, he got to his feet, and IF tensed as she saw him lean forward.

(W-wait! IS he actually-! Are we about to k-k-kiss!)

She closed her eyes and waited for his lips to meet hers, surprising herself with how willing she was. However, instead of his lips on hers, she felt something rubbing her chin, and she opened her eyes to see that he was rubbing his thumb on her face.

"You got ice cream on your face. " He said simply, licking his thumb and cleaning the mess of her face. A moment later, he nodded in satisfaction, her face now looking more presentable and less like...uhhh...

IF, meanwhile, was refusing to meet his gaze out of complete embarrassment.

(Lady Green Heart's Bosom...I actually thought...I actually wanted...!) A bright blush dusted her cheeks, while Taven coughed and said, "Well, considering this is my fuck up...I'll pay for the repairs. I'll call a technician tomorrow."

Had IF looked at his eyes, she would have seen the silver orbs were now glowing scarlet. Entering his room, Taven let out the breath he was holding, feeling the tension slowly leave his shoulders. Inside, he heard countless perverted voices cry out, then fall silent, while he fought back all the dirty images that had popped up in his head.

Now, he was no stranger to lust, but this level of it was damn near ridiculous! Did it have something to do with his power? Did it boost more than his physical attributes?

Goddesses help him.

With a sigh, he removed his shirt and flopped onto the bed. His body was burning up, and he growled before closing his eyes, calling upon the meditation training from his father to quiet his thoughts and get some sleep. He really hoped that there was a contract tomorrow, he could use an outlet. His hand fiddled with the necklace he wore as he thought this, deep inside, knowing that he was just looking for an excuse to not deal with his feelings at the moment.

Meanwhile, on her end, IF was curled up on her bed, her expression blank, but the blush persisting.

(I...wanted him to kiss me. I want...I'm...am I...in love with him?) The 'L' word caused her to grip her pillow and curl up even further. She needed advice, medical advice!

(Y-yeah. I'll ask Compa to do a check up tomorrow. Maybe I just caught something, and its making me act like this.) Deep within however, she already knew the truth, and was just looking for an excuse.


	8. Trouble at Home

Taven had been worried when IF told him she would be visiting the hospital for a check-up, but she assured him that it was routine. He noted that she still wouldn't look him in the eye, and though he wanted to question her more, he decided to leave it be. So now here he was, sitting on the couch, eating pizza, and watching T.V. Planeptune showed a lot of anime on their network, so Taven was pretty content to just laze the day away.

(Maybe this can be my 'real' day off.)

He hadn't seen or heard of the 'Gold Third' since their encounter in the cave, and it worried him somewhat. Surely, with their newly acquired power they would want to be more publicly known, right? Even so, he had yet to hear from the client who sent him to that damn cave, and he still wasn't convinced that she had no connection to the Gold Third, that he knew what had been going on.

The landline began to ring from his room, and Taven sighed at the sound. No rest for the wicked it seems.

When he answered the phone however, his eyes widened at the sound of the voice. "I'm relieved that you answered so quickly. I have another job for you."

Speak of the devil and she shall appear, or in Taven's case, just thinking was enough.

"How do you know I'll even accept this job." Snapped the boy, not too keen in accepting another shady contract from the **'Queen'.**

The woman actually chuckled and said, "Because, it involves your father."

The shock made Taven nearly drop the phone, his breath hitching as the man continued.

"There's been an attack on a local dojo, and the sensei of that dojo has gone missing. Being the upstanding citizen I am, I want this to be investigated, and the perpetrator caught as soon as possible."

Instead of words, Taven slammed the phone down and swiftly made to grab his sword from the wall.

He had to go home!

He ran out of the house moments later, looking like a blur to most people as he passed.

**Meanwhile**

(I...truly lost my power.) Thought Mundez with a low growl, struggling to pick himself up off the dojo floor. Blood splattered the walls, but the demon was grateful that he'd evacuated his students before 'they' came.

A horde of Hell Cainas had suddenly charged in from the forest, and it took Mundez all of his strength to hold them back while the children ran. Resembling humans, the monsters were damn near skeletal, skin pulled taught over the bones, and wearing tattered hoods that gave them a reaper-like appearance.

The creatures were incredibly predictable, but their numbers made them formidable, and Mundez was nowhere near as powerful as he used to be, being only the strength of a high tier hunter at least.

With a groan, Mundez held himself at the ready as the lesser demons began circling him. In his hand he held his old sword, Hellsing, and at the sight of the blade many of the demons hissed, recognizing the blade wielded by one of their greatest traitors. 

With an agonized cry, one rushed forward, drawing its scythe back. Mundez caught the attack with his blade, before beheading the demon and quickly blocking a follow up attack from a second demon. One by one the demons fell, with Mundez gracefully taking them down within seconds. However, he actually found himself being winded afterwards.

(Damn it! I never expected the ritual to have such an effect on me!) Thought the former demon knight as he glared at the dojo entrance. It was rare, but Mundez, in this instance, was grateful that Taven was as rebellious as he was, otherwise he would still be here.

Their servants destroyed, the two stepped into the dojo, a man and a woman, and he knew them both, out of all the regrets he had, saving 'them' was right next to Naomi's death. They were his children, from before he met Naomi...before he rebelled against Mundus with Sparda.

Until now, he had assumed they were dead.

The man was tall, with a thin build, with short, white hair slicked back and to the sides, dark red eyes, and pale skin. He wore a black leather vest over long sleeved blue shirt and in his left hand he held a Tachi, the sheathed weapon gripped tightly as he regarded Mundus with a cold stare. This was Vlad, Mundez's oldest son, and his eldest child with the Queen of Vampires, Sayaka. 

Next to Vlad stood Arya...his daughter.

She had long, flowing white hair that reached her shoulders, decorated with a red rose, and large, downward pointing horns, fair, unblemished skin, of which she was showing a fair amount, as she only wore a green/yellow top that was open, showing her cleavage, and tied closed with a red skull charm as well as a long skirt that accentuated the curves of her hips. She also had red slitted eyes, and around her right eye was a black design, with the same design covering her breasts.

Tattered wings were connected to her back, and she held a large broadsword with a purple hilt, and a blood red blade. Mundus was familiar with that weapon, as it once belonged to his former lover. Where Vlad took more after his vampire heritage, his blood flowed more strongly through Sayaka, as the horns suggested.

During his younger years, he and Sayaka had many a tryst together, with Mundez sating his lust, and Sayaka feeding off of him, and using the power to become queen of the Vampires. Vlad and Arya were born afterwards, a year apart, and though they never truly got together, they raised their children together. A century later, Sparda came to him, and begged for his help to stop Mundus' invasion of the human world.

Now, here they were, his children staring him down, one with what looked to be amusement, the other, with contempt.

"From a prestigious knight...to a mere tutor to humans. How the mighty have fallen, father." Said Arya, with Vlad huffing and saying, "What else can you expect after throwing in with our Uncles' rebellion."

"How are you two alive? I saw the castle fall." Said Mundez. After Sayaka was outed as a conspirator, demons attacked her stronghold, and Mundez arrived to the battlefield just in time to see the castle hall fall in flames.

Vlad's eyes narrowed, before he sighed and said, "Mother sealed us away and opened a dimensional rift, using the magic Sparda harnessed to create the Yamato. It was risky, but she succeeded in sending us through, and we ended up here. Its been five years since we've awoken from slumber."

"Then...I assume you are here to kill me? Penance...for failing to save you?" Said Mundez morosely. To his shock, Arya laughed and said, "You really think 'that's' what we're here for? Father your time here has done you no good."

Vlad took a step forward and said, "Father, we bear no ill will against you. We knew the risk when we joined your rebellion, and I know you did what you could to save us. However..."

Here, Vlad slightly unsheathed his blade, causing Mundez to tense.

"We refuse to stand by and let Mundus get away with the death of our clan. The necklace...it is the key to returning to the Underworld. With it, we can go back, and take the Demon King's head."

Mundez's scowl deepened. He was right about the motivation, but the target was wrong. "If you didn't wish to kill me...why send these demons to attack my home?"

Arya waved it off nonchalantly. "We thought you'd be more powerful, so we wanted to tucker you out and snatch the necklace. However...it seems that won't be necessary. Uncle Sparda's ritual took a lot out of you. You're practically human at this point."

Vlad adopted a ready stance with his blade, keeping his gaze focused on his father as he said, "We know you wouldn't agree with our plan, but as my father...I don't wish to harm you. So please...surrender the necklace peacefully...let us avenge our mother."

A light blue aura began to surround Mundez, as he drew on what little demonic power he had access to, causing Vlad's eyes to narrow.

"Arya...leave this to me."

Arya nodded, and stepped off to the side, fixing Mundez with a sympathetic look that made the man grit his teeth. Even after all these years, his brother's actions came back to haunt him.

A long moment passed, as Mundez prepared himself to face off with his son, thanking the powers that be that Taven wasn't here to-!

**"WAR FANG!"**

A violet blur suddenly came crashing down through the roof of the dojo, with Vlad's eyes widening, before he leapt backwards, dodging the screaming attacker as he slammed his weapon down on the ground, a wave of fire bursting forth. Unsheathing his sword, Vlad swung his sword, causing the wave to split in half and dissipate, revealing-!

"Taven!?" Yelled Mundez in a mix of surprise and despair. Of all the times his son could have returned!

Arya and Vlad watched as the up and coming mercenary straightened, before scoffing and pointing his sword at the two of them.

"Let's get 'one' thing straight! Nobody...and I mean 'nobody'...fucks with my old man!"

**Meanwhile**

IF gritted her teeth as her phone pinged again, displaying Taven's location. She came home to see that Taven was gone, and though that in itself was normal, she then heard the phone continuously ring. At first she ignored it, but finally, it grated on her nerves as it continued to ring again and again, prompting her to quickly answer the device. To her shock and horror however, the woman that called was quick to tell her what was going on.

Taven's home had been attacked, and his father was in danger. So now, she was chasing Taven, intending to catch up with him and keep him from rushing headfirst into danger. This woman, who called herself Queen, warned IF that Taven had a real chance of dying, and she would be damned if she stood by and did nothing!

She just arrived in Lastation, and she just turned down onto a street when someone suddenly skid to a stop in front of her, riding a motorcycle. Pissed off, IF drew her Katars and yelled, "get out of my way!"

The rider took off their helmet, revealing a fair skinned girl with light orange hair, decorated with a small crown, and green eyes, and she looked oddly familiar, though IF wondered why.

She didn't seem to notice the daggers being pointed at her face, as she quickly said, "Look! I'm a friend of Taven's! You're going to the dojo, right?"

"How do you-!?"

"No time! Get on!"

For a moment, IF hesitated, before she growled and practically leapt onto the back of the bike, wrapping her hands around the girl's waist. Slapping the helmet back on, the girl yelled, "Hold on tight! Its going to be a bumpy ride!"

With the screeching of tires, the motorcycle sped off down the street, with IF gritting her teeth. She really hoped Taven wasn't doing anything too dangerous.

**Meanwhile**

A long silence passed, before Mundez growled and said, "Taven, get the hell out of here! These two are too much for you!"

Taven scoffed at his father's demand, before flourishing his blade and saying, "Dad, for once in your life...have some fucking faith in me and get the hell out of here. I'm about to paint the walls with these bitches."

Vlad and Arya's eyes widened in surprise, with Arya pointing at Taven and saying, "Wait, wait, wait! Your his son!?"

Taven's only response was to narrow his eyes, with Vlad's expression softening as he said, "I see...look closely, Arya. He looks like Naomi, does he not?"

Taven quirked an eyebrow at this. Who the hell was Naomi? Mundez on the other hand, his eyes widened, before he suddenly dashed forward in a blue blur, shocking Taven as he rushed past him and towards Vlad. Shocked, he barely had time to knock aside the tip of Mundez's sword, before whirling around slamming his sheathed blade to the back of the man's head, causing his body to go flying towards the wall, and slamming into the wood hard enough to crack and splinter.

As he watched his father's body crumple to the ground, Taven roared and charged forward, eyes glowing red. Vlad gritted his teeth and unsheathed his blade, catching Taven's strike and grunting as the shock of the blow went throughout his body. Arya gripped her own blade, and moved to attack when Vlad yelled, "Don't interfere! Let me handle this!"

She narrowed her eyes, but complied, stabbing her blade into the floor and crossing her arms. Meanwhile, Vlad was wincing as he felt the heat of Taven's blade, and began pushing back against Taven. "Mundez...is your father!?"

"Yeah! What of it!?" Yelled Taven, throwing his head forward between the crossed blades and head-butting the man. Vlad cursed and leapt back as blood gushed from his nose, before sheathing his blade as Taven charged forward. However, he was stopped when two violet swathes of energy struck Taven's body, causing his charge to fall short as he fell to the ground, blood spraying from the wounds that suddenly appeared on his leg and chest.

However, Vlad was shocked to see Taven already getting back to his feet, a violet aura seeping out of his body. Off to the side, Arya said, "Holy shit...he's..."

Vlad schooled his expression and said, "I see. Tell me Taven...did he ever tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Growled Taven, leaping forward and pivoting on his right foot, attempting a beheading strike. Vlad, seeing it coming, ducked under the blow, and slammed the pommel of his sword into Taven's abdomen, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying back a few meters. Taven cursed as he fell on his back and slid a few feet, before rolling into a defensive crouched position.

(This fucking guy...he's too fast.) Taven remembered their earlier engagement, where his wounds suddenly appeared on his body, 'after' Vlad sheathed his sword. Just his luck, he was facing an Iaido Master!

"Did he ever tell you...about his previous family? Take a good look at me Taven, then Arya...then tell me what you think." Taven tried, he honestly tried, but the words caught his attention. He studied Vlad, and the woman, and was shocked. They had the same white hair, and a closer look revealed that they each resembled each other somewhat, as well as his father. Then the words hit him. Previous family.

Shaking his head, he yelled, "Bullshit! I don't believe it!" He charged again, and unlike last time, Vlad was ready. In a flash, he unsheathed his blade, and Taven felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as a purple swathe flew past him, causing his charge to falter as Vlad suddenly closed the distance between them.

Taven felt the wind get knocked out of him as Vlad threw a punch to his gut, causing him to hunch over, before the man followed with a strong blow to the head with his sheath, sending Taven flying into one of the dojo's wooden beams, crashing through it and causing him to roll a few feet.

Arya winced as she saw this, and said, "Vlad...that's enough. He's..."

"He can take it. Our father's blood runs through his veins...does it not?" Said Vlad, eyes narrowing as he watched Taven struggle to his feet, a violet aura surrounding his body. The siblings tensed when he fixed them with a hate filled glare, eyes glowing bright red as his shoulder wound began to heal.

However, they also saw his necklace slip out from beneath his shirt, and Arya said, "Vlad, he has the necklace!"

"Then its obvious what must be done." Said Vlad, unsheathing his blade as Taven unstrapped his guns in a flash, and opened fire on the two, sending a wave of bullets. Arya threw up her hand, summoning a red magical glyph that deflected the shots, while Vlad quickly sliced apart each and every bullet with lightning quick draws from the sheath. However, they were surprised when a wave of fire followed after the flurry of bullets, and they leapt backwards, as Taven began to swing his sword, sending swathes of fire towards the two and driving them towards the far wall of the dojo.

"Vlad-!"

"I know! I'll flank him!"

Arya held up a hand and summoned a larger glyph that dissipated Taven's follow up barrage, while Vlad sheathed his sword and disappeared in a blur of black and purple. Taven growled, his eyes flitting about as he noticed that Vlad was gone. Suddenly, his instincts kicked in, and he threw his blade and behind him, blocking Vlad's flanking attack and surprising the man, before spinning and delivering a retaliatory strike, which the man barley blocked with his own sword as he was sent flying back.

With Vlad temporarily out of the fight, Taven turned and rushed towards Arya, who grimaced before flourishing her red sword and saying, "Come little brother!"

"Enough of your shit!" Yelled Taven, leaping into the air, his sword engulfed in a red light as he yelled, **"Falling Comet!"**

Arya braced herself, eyes widening as she saw the sword transform into an axe, and before it came down on her, she threw up her blade, using her free hand to reinforce her block. What she didn't expect, was for the blow to be so damn powerful!

When their weapons met, a shockwave so strong was emitted that it cracked the walls of the dojo and created a seven meter wide crater beneath her feet! (He's half human, right!?) She thought in disbelief, as Taven began pushing against her with the axe, gaining an upper hand in their deadlock. Another thing she noticed, was that his violet aura was no longer condensed around his body, and was beginning to wave about his body like fire, and it felt like acid against her skin, causing her to wince in pain before, she kicked out with her leg, landing a foot on his chest and sending him skidding backwards.

Taven's axe flashed red, before it reverted to its sword form, the boy sending a cold glare her way as Vlad got back to his feet. His eyes narrowed as he saw the aura surrounding Taven.

(He's powerful...but he's not consciously controlling it. Its instinctual at best.) A flick of his thumb slightly unsheathed his sword, and he crouched as he gripped the hilt. Hearing the click of the blade, Taven glanced his way, eyes narrowed. Vlad focused on his necklace, and took a deep breath as he weighed his options.

The boy was strong, but he could kill him if he put some effort into this fight. The same could be said of Arya. But they didn't want to kill him. He was their little brother after all, though he quickly denied their familial bond.

That's when they heard the sirens, and with a growl, both Arya and Taven yelled, "Fucking police with their shitty timing!" The two shared a confused look, and Vlad quirked an eyebrow, before schooling his expression and saying, "Taven, we simply want the necklace. Give us that, and we'll walk away. I don't want to hurt you."

Taven's eyes shifted downwards, staring down at the pentagram necklace around his neck, before he growled and said, "And let you walk away after you attacked my dad? To hell with that!"

At this point, Mundez was slowly getting back up, groaning in pain, and grabbing the three combatants' attention.

"I think...I'm starting to feel my age." Muttered the man, holding his head and grimacing in pain, before seeing the three of them, and noticing the sirens outside.

He then focused on Taven, and his eyes widened as he opened his mouth to speak.

Instead of words, blood erupted from his mouth, accompanied by the sound of flesh being torn as the tip of a sword erupted from his chest!

"Father/Dad!?"

Mundez coughed up more blood, and groaned as the blade was yanked out, allowing him to fall to the floor, and revealing a cloaked figure. All three of them rushed towards Mundez's downed form, but to their shock, the cloaked figure actually sent the man's body flying with a kick, causing Mundez to crash into Taven, and sending the two flying back!

Vlad unsheathed his blade and went to behead the figure, only for a blue barrier of energy to block his attack, before a beam of energy struck him in the stomach and sent him to join Taven and Mundez. Arya cursed, and rushed back towards her father as Taven quickly propped the man up against him.

"Dad! Dad! Come on, stay with me old man!"

He reached for his sword as Arya suddenly appeared in front of him, small red glyphs forming in front of her hand. "I can heal him! Please!"

Taven spared a look down at his father, who was now considerably pale, and taking short shallow breaths as his blood spilled to the floor. His hand left the hilt of his sword, and Arya wasted no time in placing her hands over the wound. Off to the side, Vlad, growled as he got back to his feet, sparing a glance towards the others, his teeth bared at the state his father was in.

"Hahaha! This has gone far better than I could ever hope for!" Said the cloaked attacker with no small amount of glee, the sound of their voice being that of a woman, one that caused them all to freeze.

Looking up, Taven saw his father's attacker shed their cloak, revealing a woman with a witch-like appearance. She had very pale skin, bordering purple, red eyes, and her hair was also a light shade of purple, being styled in a short haircut with one long bang to the side. She wore a black witch hat with thorns circling it with two different shaded purple flowers on them, and feathers sticking off to the side, as well as a black one piece with purple stripes along the cuffs and torso area.

In her hand she held the bloodied katana she used to impale Mundez, the blood beginning to glow a dark blue as it was absorbed into the weapon.

Seeing her, Vlad's eyes began to glow red. "You...you're the one who told us where our father was!" The woman grinned, and sent a look towards the stunned Taven, who muttered, "That voice...she's 'Queen'!?"

Having heard him, the woman cackled before saying, "Allow me to correct you! The name is Arfoire, and I'm the one who shall plunge the world into destruction!"

"The only thing that will be destroyed..." Vlad began, suddenly blurring out of sight before reappearing in front of the now named Arfoire, his blade sheathed.

"...is you! Die!"

His arm moved in a blur, his sword racing towards his target. With a scoff, she blocked the strike with the bloody katana, and to the shock of all, Vlad was sent flying, blasted back by the same blue energy as katana finished absorbing the blood, its form shifting as it was engulfed in bright blue light. When the light died away, Arfoire was seen grinning down at the new weapon she now held.

The katana had taken on a demonic appearance, colored dark blue and black, the bottom half of the blade, above the guard, having fangs that seemed to be organically connected to the blade's spine. The weapon glowing slightly, she held it aloft and said, "Impressive."

Taven growled, then glanced down at his father. To his great relief, the wound had closed, and his breathing had begun to even out as Arya continued her healing efforts. The demon/vampire hybrid was breathing heavily, but was focused on the task at hand. He then glanced over to Vlad, who was struggling to stand, and had what looked to be burns that blistered the skin on the right side of his face.

"Call me crazy, but I wish the cops would hurry up and get in here!" Said Taven, tensing as Arfoire laughed and said, "No one can get through the barrier I set up around this place, otherwise they would have gotten in by now."

Arya glanced up at Taven, and with venom in her tone said, "Little brother, rip her spine out from her cunt!"

Taven, though shocked, nodded and gently set his father down, before reaching for his sword.

Meanwhile, Vlad was almost back on his feet, the energy from the blade having done its work on him.

"You will pay...for spilling my father's blood. Prepare yourself, vile witch!" Gasped Vlad, shakily standing and grabbing the hilt of his blade. To his shock, Taven suddenly appeared on his left, his sword Alucard at the ready. Briefly, the two shared a look, before they nodded, and charged towards the still smirking Arfoire, who held her new sword at the ready and said, "Now all I need is one more piece."


	9. Unexpected Exit

Famitsu's bike came to a screeching halt, and she took off her helmet as IF leapt off and rushed towards the dojo. Lastation police were already containing the situation, holding back a crowd of onlookers. Around the premises, a blue square border had been erected, and IF saw a pair of policemen get launched back as they tried to charge through. Points for trying.

IF herself stopped just short of touching the magical field, with Famitsu skidding to a stop beside her. "This thing sprung a while after the rest of the students evacuated."

"Is Taven in there!?" Asked IF in worry, with Famitsu nodding. IF cursed at this, before muttering, "You idiot! Why are you always getting in situations like this?"

The crowd of onlookers let out a collective gasp as a blue beam suddenly shot out of the dojo rooftop, illuminating the area, and causing IF's hands to clench into fists. The cops began using megaphones, telling everyone to get back as another part of the dojo was blasted away. Beside her, Famitsu took a deep breath and said, "He...he'll be fine! He's been through bigger scrapes than this!"

IF sincerely hoped so, keeping her gaze fixed on the scene before her.

(Taven, please be alright!)

**Meanwhile**

"Damn it!" Yelled Taven, landing back on his feet, then leaping to the side as a blue swathe of energy flew past, creating a deep gash in the wooden floor and tearing apart the wall upon impact. Mitsunari rolled, then leapt forward, his sword meeting Arfoire's in a strong clash of steel, before he fell back and parried her retaliatory strike.

Once he had some distance, he drew both his pistols and fired a volley of bullets towards her, though to his frustration and shock, she blocked them by erecting

"You brats are nothing before me! I am the queen, and you're nothing more than pawns!" Yelled Arfoire, a wicked gleam in her eye as swung her sword, dissipating the wave of fire Taven had launched her way, before launching another energy beam towards Arya and Mundez.

Vlad suddenly appeared and sliced the beam, cancelling the attack before turning to Arya and saying, "Grab father and get him out of here, this building can't take much more!" Nodding, Arya grabbed Mundez's unconscious form and hefted him over her shoulder, before dashing towards the exit.

Seeing this, Arfoire smirked and raised her katana, only to feel a hand wrap around her wrist! In shock she turned, and came face to face with Taven's glowing red eyes, looking absolutely demonic as he regarded her surprised expression. She barely had time to block his blade with a small blast of energy, before she gritted her teeth and said, "You made a mistake, brat!"

Her free hand shot out, and grabbed Taven's necklace, before she yanked it off his neck, breaking the string, and causing him to lose focus. This allowed Arfoire to rip her hand out of his grip, before she thrust it into his abdomen, running him through with the katana!

The effect was immediate. Taven's violet aura dissipated, and his eyes stopped glowing as his sword arm went lax, and he reflexively grabbed the woman's arm with his other hand as she continued pushing it through, choking back a cry of agony.

Seeing this, Vlad's eyes flashed, and he charged forward, enraged at the sight of his brother's blood coating the sword. To his horror, Arfoire saw it coming, and actually angled Taven between them, causing his revenge swing to slash Taven across the back. Everything went in slow motion, as Arfoire lifted her hand, and sent Taven flying with a pulse of power, ripping the sword out of his body and slamming him into Vlad. The brothers went crashing through the wall of the dojo, out towards the front yard, with Taven landing on top of Vlad, knocking the wind out of him, and shocking Arya, as well as the crowd of onlookers outside the barrier.

**Outside**

IF wasn't expecting to see the wall of the dojo get blasted apart. She wasn't expecting to see two bodies come flying out, one of which she recognized as Taven. She wasn't expecting to see Taven look as if he'd been thrown into a meat grinder. He was covered in blood, and he barely looked conscious as a woman stepped out of the dojo, a woman she knew all too well!

"Arfoire!"

She then saw Taven roll off of the man he crashed on top of, groaning as he stopped on his back, Alucard still in his grip.

"Taven!"

At the sound of her voice, Taven slowly moved his head towards the barrier, quickly picking both her, and Famitsu out of the crowd.

"Iffy..." He murmured, before his eyes narrowed and he forced himself back onto his feet, ignoring the sharp stab in his stomach, and the burning sensation on his back from where Vlad had slashed him. Behind him, Vlad groaned and said, "She's too strong. That sword..."

He then glanced to Arya.

"Can you break down the barrier?"

She shook her head, looking down at their still unconscious father. "I can't...this barrier is...negating my power. I can only heal father right now."

Taven growled, glaring up at Arfoire with a look of pure hatred, his eyes glowing as he saw the wrecked dojo behind her.

"You...wicked witch looking...stuck up bitch! You...have some nerve!"

IF and Famitsu's eyes widened, and many people began to shout as the violet aura reappeared around Taven, with one major difference, it was actually beginning to take on a shape. Arya and Vlad found themselves actually flinching at the amount of demonic power Taven was emitting, with even Arfoire pausing and narrowing her eyes as a figure began to take shape behind Taven, enveloped in his aura.

To the shock of all, his aura condensed, and everyone bore witness as a humanoid shape formed. The figure was then covered in armor, and before long, A large, tall spectral samurai stood behind Taven, mirroring his movements as he shakily stepped towards Arfoire. A katana materialized in its hand, and behind its mask, the eyes were glowing with purple flames.

**"I'll tear you apart...rip you to shreds!" **Said Taven, his voice having a loud, distorted echo, which caused Arfoire to tense.

Outside of the barrier, Famitsu's hands went over her mouth, shocked to see her childhood friend manifesting this power. IF, on the other hand, felt her blood run cold when she heard a woman behind her say, "By the goddesses...he really 'is' a devil!"

IF turned and yelled, "Shut your damn mouth! Or else I'll-!"

Her threat was cut short when a strong gust of wind caused the crowd to stumble backwards. Turning, IF was shocked to see Lastation's CPUs standing before them in their HDD forms, Black Heart and Black Sister!

"Noire! Uni!" Yelled IF, beyond relieved to see them here. They could break the barrier! They could save Taven. The people behind her began to speak excitedly, seeing their goddesses in front of them. The woman from before smiled and said, "Thank goodness, now that demon will finally die!"

IF lost it, and actually lunged at the damn bimbo! Before her hands could wrap around the woman's scrawny neck however, she was grabbed by Famitsu, who pulled her back and said, "She's not worth it! Calm down!"

"No, I've had it! My friend is practically bleeding out in front of them, but these idiots think 'he's' the bad guy!?"

"Calm yourself IF." The serene voice of Black Heart broke IF out of her rage, and she watched with a small amount of satisfaction as the woman scrambled away in terror. Turning, she saw Noire, or rather, Black Heart staring at the crowd, being sure she had the citizen's attention before saying, "All of you, get somewhere safe! This area is a battlefield!"

At the command of their goddess, the people began to scramble away, guided by the police, save for IF and Famitsu.

"Sis, we have a problem!" Yelled Uni, causing everyone's attention to turn towards the barrier's interior.

Needless to say, they were shocked.

Inside, Taven was engaged in a fierce battle with Arfoire, actually meeting her strikes blow for blow! Whenever she launched a beam of energy, the giant spectral samurai deflected it with its large katana. Arfoire herself was looking less than pleased by this new development, trying to create some distance between the two of them.

"That...that's Taven!?" Said Uni in shock, watching as Taven sidestepped an impaling strike, before countering with a backhand to Arfoire's temple. The nemesis of the CPUs was actually sent flying into a nearby tree, dropping the necklace as she crashed right through the trunk and rolled on the ground, until she stopped, and remained unmoving.

Seeing Arfoire being taken down in such a manner was a shock to Noire, who's eyes widened as she said, "Incredible, I didn't think there existed a man with so much power."

"Can we tear down that barrier?" Asked IF, getting a nod from Uni as she said, "If we hit it hard enough, it should break no problem! I just can't believe that purple hag is back!"

"We'll finish her before she can enact whatever plot she's scheming. Join me Uni." With a nod, Uni stood next to her sister, holding her transformed rifle at the ready and aiming down the sights, while Noire held her sword at the ready, the two goddesses gathering power.

Within the barrier, Vlad and Arya stared at their brother, amazed at what they saw, yet wary to approach with the large specter hovering over him. However, awe turned to worry when Taven began to stalk towards the downed Arfoire, with Vlad yelling, "Taven, stay away from her! That sword-!"

**"Shut up. I'm going to end this. Once and for all!"**

The deep, echoing voice caused the two goddesses outside the barrier to flinch, as a wave of dark energy seemed to wash over the area. IF watched with wide eyes as Taven took slow, plodding steps towards Arfoire, blood still dripping from his wounds.

"Taven! Stop!" Yelled Arya, standing up and racing towards Taven! Taven tensed and turned to face her, the large specter following his movement. Vlad saw his sword arm tense, and yelled, "Arya get back!"

Arya barely had time to block the sudden swing from Taven's sword, her own blade nearly flying out of her hand as she was sent flying back!

**"This has nothing to do with you! In fact! This is 'your' fault! You attacked my home!"**

Vlad pushed himself to his feet, groaning as he felt his broken bones mend themselves. "Taven, please!"

Taven's eyes narrowed, eyes glowing brighter as he saw Arya rush to her brother's side and adopt a defensive stance.

Outside, those outside the barrier were shocked at what they were seeing! The situation was starting to spiral out of control! However, they all forgot one important thing...

"You are all fools!" All eyes turned to Arfoire, who had crawled forward and reclaimed the stolen necklace!

Seeing the original target of his hatred up and about, Taven growled and made a mad dash towards the witch, ready to run her through with Alucard!

Time seemed to slow down, as Arfoire placed the necklace down on the ground, and raised her sword above her head. As Taven drew his sword back for the finishing blow, she brought it down on the pentagram, and his world went white, the last thing he heard being IF, calling out his name.


	10. Laying It Out

Taven opened his eyes with a groan of pain, feeling a heavy pounding in his skull. His body felt like it had been taken through the wringer, not that that was a shocker. He was freaking 'stabbed' through the gut by that bitch! Wait...

His eyes widened as he scanned his immediate area. He was no longer at the dojo, that was immediately obvious. Instead, he was in what appeared to be a ruined building, the wall paint shedding and cracked, the tile floor sporting small craters and shattered tile pieces dotting it. Looking down, he saw that he was laying on an old bed, wearing only his boxers. Leaning against the bed, he saw his sword Alucard, and on a nearby nightstand, a change of clothes.

"Where the hell...am I? What the hell happened here?" He muttered, slowly sliding off of the bed. A few minutes later, he was dressed in a grey t-shirt, black cargo pants and boots, with a white jacket to complete the look. To his relief, his guns were in the nightstand drawer, and he was quick to strap them in, as well as his sword, before heading out of the room.

It did not take him long to realize that the building, no, the entire area looked like something out of an apocalypse movie. Hell, looking out the window, he saw that the sky itself looked like it was shattering, with large glowing cracks spread throughout, with a hazy purple look to it.

A chill went down his spine as he felt that the ruined city looked eerily familiar, and he put a little more pep in his step as he made his way down the hallway towards the exit. By the time he reached the building's lobby, he found himself stopping in his tracks. He heard voices just outside the building, familiar voices!

"Can't be right..."

"Didn't think it would have 'that' power..."

"Check on..."

At that moment, the man, Vlad, stepped into the lobby where Taven was standing, and upon seeing the boy, he stopped short, and stared open mouthed. For a moment the two remained silent, before Taven growled and drew Alucard! In the man's hands was the very same sword that bitch Arfoire used!

"No Taven! Wai-!" Vlad was cut short when the boy leapt towards him, forcing the man to bring up his sword and block the incoming strike, the force of which sent him skidding back a few feet, and causing him to grunt as their swords were stuck in a deadlock.

"Got you fucker!" Yelled Taven, pushing against Vlad as sparks flew from where their blades made contact. Vlad growled and began to push back, his eyes beginning to glow. Seeing this, Taven gritted his teeth and broke off from the lock, spinning away and adopting a defensive stance, ready for retaliation.

To his shock however, Vlad took a deep breath, and sheathed the katana before saying, "Well, now I can tell father that you are healed."

At this, Taven's eyes widened, and he slowly relaxed his stance as he asked, "My dad is here? He's...okay?"

Vlad was about to answer, when the voice of Mundez suddenly spoke from the entrance. "Enough, both of you. Now is not the time-!"

Mundez found himself cut off when Taven suddenly rushed forward, hugging the man. He was alive! His dad was alive! Behind Mundez stood Arya, her arms crossed as she observed the reunion, a small smile on her face. Vlad, on the other hand, kept his expression neutral as he watched, until Mundez coughed and said, "I'm glad to see you're okay as well my son, though, I wish our reunion was a little less...dramatic."

"That's a real light way of putting it old man. How are you alive? I saw that witch stab you through the heart!"

Mundez tensed, and turned to Arya, the woman shaking her head and making a 'go on' gesture, causing the man to sigh before he turned back to Taven and said, "Sit down by the fire, son. There are...some things I must tell you."

Looking over, Taven saw that a small campfire had been set, with a crude spit being made to hold a dented pot, where it looked like some gruel was boiling. Warily, Taven did as his father bid him, and took a seat next to the fire, though he remained tense as Vlad and Arya took a seat on either side of his father, who sat across from him.

Taven was shocked to see his father looking so...tired. Then again, perhaps being brought back from the brink of death had its side effects. The fact that the woman had saved his old man was mostly responsible for Taven not flipping out and attacking them again, not to mention...what Vlad had said during the fight at the dojo.

"So...what is it that you want to tell me?" He asked.

"Well...lets start with the obvious...these two before you...their names are Vlad, and Arya, and they spoke the truth. They are indeed my children, making them your..."

"Stepsiblings." Finished Taven, feeling the world collapse around him. So...it was all true.

However, as the revelation sunk in, Taven felt his anger reemerge, and shot a glare towards the two. "If that's the case...why the fuck...did you attack us! What type of twisted shit is that!?"

"Taven, please...let me continue." Said Mundez in a calming tone, with Taven taking a deep breath and unstrapping Alucard from his back, causing Vlad and Arya to tense. However, he simply laid it down on the ground beside him and said, "Alright...talk. Drop all the bombshells now."

"Alright then...to begin, I've been lying to you...about your mother...your heritage. Taven...you're not...fully human. You're actually half demon."

Mundez waited a moment, watching his son's face as what he said sunk in. Taven's eyes remained narrowed, as he glared down at his hand and said, "You're joking...I'm half demon? I don't buy it!"

"How can you not? Think about it Taven! You've always been the strongest, the fastest, not to mention how you can practically shrug off injuries that would send others to the emergency room, if not the grave! Not to mention...that aura you can summon. I don't know of any humans with the same abilities as you."

"M-maybe I'm a special case! If I'm actually half demon...then everything those people ever said about me...all the looks...all of it...!"

"Not another word!" Yelled Mundez, his voice echoing down the street, nd causing Taven to flinch, while Arya blinked in surprise. She recognized that tone, it was the same one he used whenever he got tired of some bullshit.

"Demon! Human! Hybrid! It doesn't matter 'what' you're born as! You are 'not' a monster! You are Taven, my son! You saved a pregnant woman from death! You stood up to the cruelty of others when they tried drag you down, be it in school, or the dojo! You even go out of your way to protect the lives of others during your 'hunts'! Monsters don't think about the safety of others! But 'you' do."

Taven growled and muttered, "If I was so selfless, why didn't I just do all the jobs I've done for free?"

To his shock, a phone suddenly landed before him, and on the screen, Taven saw a picture of himself, awkwardly shaking the hand of a local mayor. It looked to be a news article, the headline reading...

**_Citizens Celebrate As Local Hero Eradicates Monsters_**

"If you scroll through that phone, you'll find more headlines like that. I've been keeping track of you through social media, and as far as the people of Lastation are concerned, you are indeed a hero. You're well known for conveniently 'forgetting' to take the other half of your payments whenever you finished your contracts. You posses a heart Taven, and its time for you to accept that you are 'not' some evil monster."

A long moment of silence passed, as Taven began scrolling through the phone's photos, viewing each screenshot his father took on internet articles, and each headline carried on the theme of praising Taven as an up and coming 'man of the people'.

The thought made him sigh, as he recalled what IF had told him after the first few days of moving in with her.

**Flashback**

"Taven you 'really' need to get 'some' sort of account." Muttered IF, the two of them doing some internet surfing on their phones, completely ignoring the T.V. until the anime they were watching came back on.

"Why? I've gone my entire life without social media so far."

She rolled her eyes and said, "Your business is growing popular, and people are starting to talk about you at The Guild. You're telling me you 'haven't' seen or heard people talking about you?"

Taven's finger stopped moving over the phone screen, and his eyes narrowed as he said, "I've heard people talking about me my entire life...I've learned to tune it out long ago."

She could practically taste the disdain in his tone, and sighed. "Can't you accept that you 'aren't' some evil devil?"

She actually put her phone down, and to his shock and embarrassment, she laid her head on his shoulder and said, "After all...you know that 'I' accept you...right? Or did you already forget our talk at the hospital?"

Taven stared down at her in shock, before slowly exhaling and muttering, "I'll...think about it."

**Present**

(As usual, Iffy, you prove me wrong.) Thought Taven, sighing and looking up at the torn sky above. Mundez, Vlad, and Arya watched to see what he would do next, and after a few moments...he leaned back on his hands and said, "So...I'm half demon...half human. Which parent was the demon?"

Vlad and Arya pointed to Mundez, with the woman saying, "Devil daddy is right here! Your momma was the human."

Mundez sent Arya an incredulous look, before shaking his head and saying, "Yes, I'm the demon, Taven. Your mother...Naomi, was human, a priestess from Japan. I used to be a general in the Underworld, until I joined my brother's rebellion against the Demon King, Mundus-"

"Mundus, wait, why does his name sound so similar to yours?"

Arya suddenly appeared next to him, clamping a hand over his mouth and saying, "Actually, father...why don't 'I' tell the story?"

Vlad snorted and crossed his arms, before muttering, "This should be good."

Mundez, actually nodded, and said, "Try to keep it PG."

Arya grinned, and sat down in front of an apprehensive Taven.

"Alright then...as our father said, he was a demon general who rebelled against the demon king with his brother, your uncle, Sparda. However, despite how powerful they were, they didn't have the strength to kill the old fart, so they decided to go with the next best thing...sealing and separating the demon world from the human world. So, off to Japan our father went, studying the art of sealing from the monks. That's when he met your mom, a powerful priestess named Naomi."

"Aren't monks and priestesses supposed to be celibate? No sex, no marriage?" Asked Taven, quirking an eyebrow.

"Your mom came from a long line of exorcists. Her family didn't exactly follow 'all' of the rules. Good thing too, or else you'd never be born."

Vlad sighed at the surprised expression Taven had, and quickly clarified.

"You mother didn't think every demon was evil, and thus she wasn't adverse to being friendly with our father when they first met."

Arya nodded, and grinned in a wicked manner as she continued.

"So yeah...they decide to work together to create a powerful seal to cut off the demon world. Meanwhile, dad had fallen head over heels for your mom. So like any good love story where the universe says you can't be together, they decided to tell the universe to go fuck itself...then they fucked each other-gah!"

"That's enough Arya." Said Mundez, pulling his daughter back while Taven sat there, a blushing mess. He shook his head at the thought of his father actually banging a woman. Truth be told, had it not been for his single father status...he had no doubt that his dad would have women lining the sidewalk to get in his pants. He'd heard the lustful mutterings of the other mothers at parent-teacher conferences. Speaking of mothers...

"What was mom like?" He asked, though he instantly regretted asking the question when he saw a pained expression on his fathers face. He was about to drop the subject, when Vlad suddenly spoke up.

"Your mother was a strong, beautiful woman, who bravely stepped into the darkness to protect others, and was revered by the common folk as a living goddess, always emitting a comforting aura that brightened others lives. In fact, the necklace you wore...it used to be hers. You look a lot like her, and you share one of her...quirks."

Taven's hand went to his chest, where he noticed that the aforementioned necklace was gone. Mundez had given it to him when he was nine, and he could never place why it felt so special to him..now he knew. But Arfoire hid taken it, and with the knowledge that it belonged to his mother, Taven had even more reason to tear that witch apart the next time he saw her purple skinbag of an ass! Then, he quirked an eyebrow as he asked...

"Quirks? What quirk?"

"War Fang...Falling Star?" Said Arya with an amused expression. Even Mundez let out a chuckle, while Taven blushed as he was reminded about how he named his attacks.

"Despite her graceful image, your mother Naomi had a strange tendency to name her various attacks, and called them out whenever she used them. She was a demon with the Naginata, and enjoyed battle as much as she enjoyed healing."

Mundez looked at Taven with a small smile and said, "It was...one of the many things I found attractive about her during our time together. Its another thing you two have in common."

Taven smiled back. He never really thought of his mother, instead relying solely on his father for parental guidance. Until today, he'd assumed that his mother was just some woman who slept with his dad, but couldn't handle the thought of motherhood and skipped town after dropping him on his father. But now, now he was getting some answers to the questions that were deep in his mind.

His smile then fell as he muttered, "But...what happened? Did you find out how to make a seal? Why isn't she here?"

A silence followed, before Mundez, to the shock of Vlad and Arya, spoke.

"We did indeed find a way to seal the demons, but...it cost your mother her life. Your uncle Sparda used her life force to finish the seal, as well as our own demonic power."

"That...son of a bitch." Growled Taven, suddenly filled a deep resentment for his uncle. Maybe it was for a noble cause...but you can't simply forgive something like that!

With a sigh, he turned to his dad and said, "I guess I was born before this?"

"You were born that very day. Mundus found out what we were plotting, and tried to stop us by killing Naomi while she was in labor. Sparda brought us time so that you could be born, and Naomi was able to cast the seal with my help. We succeeded, but the price..."

No more words were needed, and Mundez looked down at the ground between his legs, while Taven processed everything he'd learned so far.

Vlad, on the other hand, turned to Mundez and asked, "Father, how did you end up in Gamindustri? As far as I knew, mother's dimensional spell was lost in the destruction of our stronghold."

"The Yamato. Sparda used the Yamato to create a rift to a random dimension. He did so at my request...and I stepped through, intending to raise Taven in peace."

Arya adopted a thoughtful look, then turned to Taven. "Mom was an expert in creating portals. Hell, she helped uncle Sparda create the Yamato, and Taven's necklace."

That grabbed Taven's attention. "My necklace?"

"It was originally our mother's, but she gave it to your mother as a wedding present when your parents were married. When we learned that father was also in Gamindustri, we figured that he would still have the necklace. We theorized that she enchanted the item to open rifts."

"And you planned to use it to go back to the Underworld...and claim your revenge against Mundus." Said Mundez.

"Your war may have ended, but ours is still going." Said Vlad, his grip on Arfoire's katana tightening.

"This was all that came with us to this world. With any luck, we can use it to get back."

A moment passed, before Taven nodded and said, "Then that's what we'll do. But first, lets find out where we are."

**Nearby Building**

"Amazing...I must tell Uzume about this! As soon as possible! This is almost bigger than discovering a share crystal!"

The mysterious figure...swam away? Either way, events were set into motion, and the demon family was about to find themselves well acquainted to this new world.


	11. Coming To Terms

Arya was humming a little tune to herself as she doodled in an old sketchbook, the latest she managed to salvage from the ruins of Planeptune. Yep...it didn't take them long to realize that the world they currently occupied, was in fact a parallel reality. Taven and Mundez had been more than a little rattled at the thought that the world they lived in was in such a state, with Taven dreadfully wondering if they were actually in the future, because if they were, he had one good guess as to 'what' caused this place to fall apart. It also didn't take them long to see that there were more than a few monsters in this world, some being familiar, others...not so much.

Another thing of note was that Mundez could no longer access his demonic power, the injury he'd suffered at the hands of Arfoire having somehow transferred his power to the katana Vlad now wielded. Considering it, and Taven's necklace had been used to send them to this world, it wasn't that far of a stretch to think that it might be the key to getting them back to 'their' Gamindustri, and maybe preventing any of this from happening.

Back in the present, Arya looked up just in time to see her brothers break off from yet another fierce engagement, both breathing heavily, with sweat and blood glistening off their exposed torsos, having taken off their shirts to preserve them. Vlad was sporting only a few minor cuts, while Taven was sporting more than a few serious slashes, though his healing factor was already working to fix him.

(I'll give my little brother credit, he's got the endurance, and good skill, but Vlad and I actually fought in a war against demons for years.)

Taven leapt towards Vlad, his sword changing into its axe form as he went for a bisecting slash towards his waist, but Vlad saw it coming a mile away, and easily leapt back to avoid the clumsy attack. To his surprise however, Taven suddenly planted his foot, and pushed forward, the momentum carrying his forward towards Vlad like an arrow, changing Alucard back into a sword.

At the last second, Vlad brought up his blade and caught the tip of his brother's blade before he could be run through, though the force of the thrust sent him flying backwards, causing him to grunt as his feet skidded on the ground, his steel toed boots' treads being worn down on the concrete. Taven collapsed to his knees, panting for breath while Vlad's legs buckled.

"That...puts me up one..." Gasped Taven, while Vlad scoffed and sheathed his katana. "Yet...you can no longer stand. So therefore, we're even."

Taven blew a raspberry and said, "Bullshit."

To his credit, he tried to push himself to his feet, using his sword as a crutch, but in the end, he only succeeded in falling comically on his face after his legs gave out, causing Arya to snicker, while Vlad chuckled and made his way to Taven's prone form. When he reached him, he smirked at the indignant glare Taven was sending at his boots, due to being unable to look up.

"Liking the view?"

"Your boots are covered in shit." Muttered Taven, causing more chuckles to escape Vlad, further irritating Taven.

"Help me up you asshole!"

Rolling his eyes, Vlad leaned down to pick his brother up off the ground.

It had been three months since they'd arrived in this world, and so far they had yet to find any other survivors. Nope, instead, they found themselves just barely avoiding the wrath of some giant monster that attacked cities at random. It resembled a giant woman/robot, and Mundez had theorized that it was responsible for the world's current state. Seeing it blast apart buildings and tear apart streets made his children inclined to believe him.

Speaking of Mundez, the man was downright mortal at this point, retaining his skill with the blade, but retaining practically nothing of his demonic power. Instead, it would seem that Vlad's new sword had absorbed the former demon knight's strength, and none of them were too keen on stabbing their father in an attempt to...give it back, not wanting to risk actually killing their father if something unexpected happened.

Arya slid a can of liquid towards Taven as Vlad set him down next to her, with Taven taking one glance at the label and groaning. "You know I hate that bitter shit."

The 'bitter shit' was in fact Arya's recreation of the infamous Nep Bull drink, which happened to be her favorite drink from Gamindustri, and one of the many medicines she'd made during their time travelling. In this way, she thought to stay useful. Her own powers had taken a dive as well. Without a sufficient blood supply, Arya struggled to summon lesser demons and maintain her shields and glyphs during combat. As such, she chose to become the group's 'white mage'.

Arya lifted the carton over Taven, a grin on her face as she said, "Your eyes or your mouth Taven. One way or another, its going in your body."

Taven growled, shooting a glare her way before resigning himself and opening his mouth. He winced as she began to pour the drink down his throat, while Vlad looked on with amusement. He sympathized, but he'd learned long ago...do not...fuck with the white mage.

Though it was bitter as all hell, Taven felt his wounds heal at a much faster rate, and in less than a minute he was back on his feet. Rolling his shoulders, he said, "I'm going to go scouting, tell dad to not wait up on me." Vlad and Arya nodded, watching as he went over to his folded shirt and jacket and proceeded to dress himself.

Strapping Alucard to his back, Taven gave a backwards wave before making his way down the street. Once he was out of sight, Vlad turned to his sister and asked, "Should I follow him?"

"No...he...still needs time alone." Said Arya, closing her sketchbook and staring off into the distance. To this, Vlad sighed and muttered, "He's had three months...three months to come to terms with it! Why is it so hard for him to just accept his heritage?"

The frustration was clear in the man's tone, and Arya shot a glare towards him, causing Vlad to cough nervously. Despite her relaxed outlook, Arya was still as fierce as their mother.

"He's grown up thinking he was a human this entire time, Vlad...do you honestly expect him to just accept the fact that he's part demon? Hell, he's barely seventeen! You and I have a century of growing up in the Underworld under our belts! Meanwhile...he's grappling with his newly discovered heritage, 'and' the fact that we are currently stuck in a different world...be patient!"

Vlad growled, reaching down for his own shirt and grumbling about checking on their father, causing Arya to roll her eyes. She knew he meant well...but Vlad was rather blunt, despite his finesse with his katana.

**City Center**

"Raargh!" Taven plunged his sword into the chest of a large turtle monster, pinning it to the wall, and allowing him to unstrap his pistols and turn to face the others. Gunshots rang out, a hail of red and blue projectiles ripping into the monster's ranks. His eyes were unconsciously glowing red at this point, and as one of the creatures rushed forward, he simply sidestepped and grabbed his sword's handle, before spinning around the monster's attack path, its head flying off its body, which crashed into the wounded turtle he'd pinned earlier. At the end of his spin, his sword rested against his shoulder, and one of his pistols was in his mouth, giving him a feral appearance that gave the rest of the monsters pause.

A growl rumbled from the boy, as he slowly stepped towards the gathered enemies before him, some of the creatures actually stepping back. Seeing this, Taven's eyes narrowed, and he said, **"Don't back out now! I'm still warming up here!"**

Meanwhile, from a nearby rooftop, red-orange eyes blinked in surprise, the owner of said eyes muttering, "Woah...Umio wasn't kidding, this guy is intense! That head slice was cool though."

The speaker was a fair-skinned girl with long blood-red hair worn in pigtails located near the bottom of her head, held by hair that had been knotted. She wore a very small black tube top under an opened white jacket with a bright orange, black, and white tie, as well as a pair of pleated shorts worn with a pair of thin black suspenders, and open to reveal her stomach, and black fingerless gloves over a pair of orange and black sleeves, matching socks, black shoes and a pair of black leg warmers with buttons on them.

This was Uzume Tennouboshi, the CPU of the ruined dimension, and until recently, the last human being in the world. Now, she was watching a guy rip these monsters a new one! She winced in slight sympathy when she watched a group of monsters get blasted back by a wave of fire from his wicked sword, before she watched him charge towards a large mech and impale its large red eye, causing it to topple backwards onto its allies.

Before the minute was up, the horde had been eradicated, and all that remained was the guy, breathing heavily and glaring around at the destroyed area. She prepared to move out again, wanting to stay on him as he made his way through the city, but to her surprise, he actually fell back against the brick wall of a building, before slowly sliding down to a sitting position.

(Is he tired? I can't say I blame him...he's been fighting non-stop since he left that camp.)

She was shocked to see the boy suddenly slam a fist against the wall behind him, causing cracks to spread throughout the mortar, and causing a few more to fall onto the old sidewalk. She saw him mutter something to himself, stabbing his sword into the ground and holding his head in his hands.

Back on the ground, Taven was slowly taking deep breaths, recalling the meditation techniques taught to him by his father. With an exhale he mumbled, "Shit...these bastards is getting...dull."

Perhaps just killing monsters wasn't enough...or maybe he was always like this? Protecting the weak might have been a good shield, a way to keep the demon inside sleeping. But now, with no one to protect, and having to constantly be on the move, Taven was starting to hear it...his battle instinct taking on a malicious form, constantly telling him to seek carnage, shed blood...embrace the demon within.

He tensed when he saw a tear fall from his face and onto the ground below.

_"Devils never cry Taven."_

IF's words swept away the dark thoughts flooding his mind, and he coughed as he fought away the pain in his throat and wiped his eyes.

(Shit, I was nearly bawling my eyes out there.) He thought with a chuckle, before noticing the sound of clanking metal. Looking down the street, he saw a group of large robots marching down, upper bodies turning to and fro as they scanned the area, and prompting Taven to scoff as he stood up, pulling his sword out of the ground and walking towards the group of mechs.

"Yo! Decepticons!" He yelled, grabbing their attention. As their red photoreceptors focused on him, he planted his feet and made a come hither motion with his free hand. Like that, the fighting began anew, and on the nearby rooftop, Uzume was speaking into her wrist communicator.

"Hey, Umio, I think we should hurry up and nab these guys before something happens."

From the communicator, the calm, even voice of her comrade Umio spoke.

"I agree, but until we finish setting up our base, we can't offer them a secure place to stay."

Uzume sighed in exasperation, but found herself unable to argue with Umio's logic.

"Fine, but lets hurry up! I think the stress is starting to get to them."

A loud explosion was heard as one of the robots exploded, destroyed by a wave of fire. Having heard that, Umio nervously chuckled and said, "So I hear...it shouldn't be too long at the rate we're gathering the materials we need."

Uzume nodded, and decided to take her leave, but not before sparing one more glance towards the battlefield.

Perhaps they could be the break she was looking for.

**Two Weeks Later**

"And that was how I was conceived." Said Vlad, finishing a long and 'very' embarrassing story about the night of his conception. The two were currently scouting ahead, looking for a suitable place to set up camp. Taven was surprised when Vlad suddenly broke the silence between them by telling him of his childhood, which consisted of growing up in the Underworld as a Vampire Prince. Truth be told, Taven was still...hesitant about accepting Arya and Vlad as his siblings, even if they had the same father.

But Taven could at least trust them, and sympathized with their quest for revenge.

Beside the vampire/demon hybrid, Taven was doing his best to 'not' look at Vlad, a blush on his face as he muttered, "Why the fuck would dad tell you about...'that'!? That's just...weird!"

"Oh it wasn't our father...my mother regaled Arya and I about the nights of passion with our father. I find it strange how...uncomfortable you are about the topic of mating." Said Vlad, further embarrassing Taven.

"Well, at least she wasn't awkward about it. Dad kept stuttering when he gave me...the talk...though I already knew what sex was." Said Taven.

A thought then popped up in his head, and he asked, "Hey...what was your mom like?"

The question surprised Vlad, and he spared a glance towards him with a quirked eyebrow.

"You wish to know of my mother? What of yours? I knew both well enough." Taven shrugged in response.

"No offense, but I think dad would be better suited to telling me about 'my' mom. I mean...if we're brothers...I feel like...your mom is also mine...?"

A silence fell between them, and Taven felt his nervousness grow with each passing second, before he said, "You now what? Never mind. I'm sorry I brung it up."

"My mother..."

His eyes widened in surprise, and he turned to Vlad, who was looking up at the chaotic sky above as he reminisced. "My mother...was rather eccentric. Before meeting our father, she was an ambitious Countess in Dracula's court, and decided to gain power by drinking our father's blood. With our father's help, she usurped the throne, and took her place as Queen of the Vampires, and became one of the many generals of the Demon King Mundus. After that...she...as you say...mellowed out."

A smile grew on his face, and Taven was looking at him with rapt attention.

"She decided to study magic, and experimented with alchemy. Her studies lead her to finding out how to tear apart the fabric of reality itself, and she liked to take small visits to different dimensions. She could never stay for long though, and she guarded her secrets fiercely, even from Mundus. She also doted on us as younglings. I could scrape my knee on the other side of the palace, and she'd be there within seconds to heal me."

"So she was a bit of a mother hen?" Asked Taven with a smirk. Vlad mirrored it and chuckled.

"Like you wouldn't believe. Vampires are...fiercely protective of their brood, and our mother's wrath was inescapable to any who wished harm upon our family. It makes sense I suppose, her little brother was killed during a previous war. I imagine that she didn't want to lose anyone else."

"She 'was' to be your godmother." Said Vlad, with Taven almost tripping.

His godmother was the Queen of Vampires?! Well shit!

"How the hell did 'that' come about."

"My mother, during Sparda's rebellion, collaborated with Naomi to create the seal for the demon world. They grew rather close, and she even protected your mother from assassination attempts from the demons."

Taven was shocked to hear that. So...Sayaka...Vlad and Arya's mother...protected 'his' mom?

"So they were friends?"

"Practically sisters. In fact, your mother named you after my late uncle, Taven."

Taven's eyes were practically bugging out of his head. So, their mothers were friends, with Sayaka being his godmother. Then he learns that he was named after a vampire. His world was being torn at the seams, but at the same time, it was making some sense.

"So, you are my step/god brother?" Asked Taven, getting a smile from the man.

Scoffing, Taven smiled and said, "Nothing about our family is allowed to be simple."

"Simple is overrated." Said Vlad.

Their merriment was cut short by the sound of a scream, a rather 'human' scream, and instantly their weapons were at the ready.

"Holy shit that's...!"

"Another person! Perhaps a native to this realm!" Said Vlad, the two quickly dashing down the streets towards the sound of the screaming!

Turning the corner, the two were shocked to see...two monsters...fighting?

Sort of.

There were a pair of Mechs, and they were currently pursuing a pair of Dogoos, who appeared to be screaming in fear!

"Yo...are...those Dogoo...talking?"

"I...believe so..."

The two brothers shared a glance, before they narrowed their eyes, unsheathed their swords, and ran towards the robots unprotected backs!

Taven reached his target first, leaping upwards and over, while twisting his body in midair and landing two slashes to the Mech's back, before righting himself and plunging his blade into its red eye as he came down the other side. Vlad went for the simple approach, and sliced off his enemy's leg at the knee with a quick slash of the katana, before sheathing his blade and rolling into a crouched position in front of the robot as it fell flat on its face.

Behind the two, the Dogoos were watching in amazement, as Taven pulled out his blade and kicked off of the blinded robot, before landing next to Vlad and tossing him one of his guns.

Though confused, Vlad caught the pistol and asked, "Care to explain?"

"We're brothers, right? So we need kick ass combo attacks." Said Taven, aiming his other gun towards the incapacitated robots. Vlad quirked an eyebrow, but sighed as stepped to Taven, who put them back to back while they both took aim.

"Should we have a catchphrase?" Asked Vlad. Taven grinned and whispered something, causing a small smirk to play at his older brother's lips, before they set their sights on the robots.

"Jackpo-!"

Before either could finish, a figure suddenly came crashing down onto the robots, causing an explosion that made the two stumble about due to the shaking. Vlad cursed as some debris struck him across the face, causing him to drop the pistol while Taven widened his stance and glared at the inferno in front of them.

"Nani the fuck!?"

Behind them, the Dogoos seemed to shake their heads and say, "That's Miss Uzume alright...always making an entrance."

As if it was a cue, the brother watched as a figure calmly walked out of the wall of flame, holding...a fucking megaphone!?

"Again...nani the fuck!" Yelled Taven, with Vlad narrowing his eyes and grabbing the hilt of his weapon as the newcomer, a girl with long red hair, approached them. To their surprise, the two Dogoos behind them rushed towards the girl, who knelt down and patted their heads while they began to excitedly speak to her. Telling the two monsters to head to a safe space, she focused her attention on the two brothers, and in a tone full of mirth said, "Its about time we've met! The name's Uzume, and I'm the CPU of this nation."

A moment of silence passed, before someone said, "Nani?"

It wasn't Taven.


	12. The First Sign

IF was practically a walking zombie at this point, as she sat in her living room, staring at the television, but truly watching what was happening on screen. Ever since that day, IF found herself feeling...empty, and how could she not?

Her friend was gone, and she didn't even know if he was still alive. She bit back her sorrow as a familiar feeling washed over her. Not today, she wouldn't cry today!

After Arfoire used that sword, no one could find any trace of Taven, or any of the others who were with him, and many people proclaimed him to be dead. At first, IF vehemently denied such claims, but as the days turned into weeks...she found it harder to dispute. It became painful to walk down the hallway of her home, and see Taven's room, now empty and silent.

In a twisted way, IF was forced to realize that she held feelings for Taven, and as the saying goes, you don't know what you have until its gone.

The sound of her phone ringing brought her out of her reverie, and she took her time to answer the device.

"Hello?"

_"Iffy...you're not going to like what I have to say..." _Came the nervous voice of her childhood friend, Compa. IF barely flinched and said, "Compa, did something happen?"

_"Nep-Nep and Gearsy are...sort of...gone."_

IF's eyes narrowed, and Arfoire's smug expression briefly came to mind. There was no doubt in her mind...that witch had to be behind this...and she would be damned if she was going to just sit back and let that witch take away anyone else!

"I'll be there soon!" In a blue blur, IF was rushing out of the house, worried for her friends, and eager for revenge against Arfoire.

Gunshots rang out as Taven fired his pistols, his bullets destroying the whiteboard of the old classroom he was doing battle in. Around him, catlike monsters were being bouncing off the walls, the impact of his bullets lifting them off the ground, all with disturbing yowls of pain as they faded away. Kicking aside a desk, he made his way to the classroom's door and yelled down the hall.

"You find anything yet?"

His answer was the body of a monster being flung down the hallway, followed by Vlad yelling, "Nothing! I think its another dead end!" Vlad then appeared, casually dodging the clawed swipe of another monster, before swiftly unsheathing his blade and beheading it in one smooth swing.

Groaning, Taven raised his gun and shot another monster behind him without looking, his senses warning him of the sneak attack. The months of near constant combat were starting to show benefits. Now that he was...aware of his demonic heritage, he became aware of just how effective his heightened senses were. He could smell a monster coming long before seeing them, not to mention his reaction time had become frighteningly fast.

Arya trained him by summoning low level demons specializing in one form of combat or another, and with each training session being a life or death battle, he found himself improving quickly, to the point where he could dodge the bullets and lasers with only a little effort on his part. He was already considered superhuman before, but with his step-siblings helping him tap into his potential, he figured he could probably present even the Goddesses a good challenge.

Okay...at least a noticeable challenge...his chances of coming out on top against the CPUs was...iffy...at best.

Iffy...IF.

The thought of her made him pause. His thoughts often wandered to the girl whenever he found a peaceful moment. He missed her...by the goddesses he fucking missed her. And he wasn't an idiot to his true thoughts regarding her. He loved watching anime and reading manga, but he wasn't too big a fan whenever the protagonist denied or remained clueless to their feelings. He knew that he had feelings for her, and he vowed to tell her when they returned to their dimension. He didn't flirt with her just to fuck with her.

Though he wouldn't mind fu-!

No, bad Taven!

With that thought in mind, he hardened his gaze and strapped his pistols, before pulling Alucard off his back and glaring down at the newest group of monsters, Vlad walking up behind him and saying, "I take it you have some stress to relieve?"

"Just sit back and fix your hair." Muttered Taven, causing Vlad to roll his eyes and cross his arms as he watched the carnage unfold.

As he watched Taven dispatch the monsters, Vlad allowed his mind to wander. (He's...not too far off from my own power. As a half human...I thought his ability would be...'considerable'...to mine, not 'rivaling' it!)

A small tinge of jealousy furrowed his brow. He had a full century on the boy in front of him, years of combat experience and great prowess in combat, but Taven was already showing signs of catching up to him...even...

He cut off those thought, scowling as he looked down at his hands. Why didn't 'he' have that potential? If he could make such strides in power like Taven, his vengeance against Mundus would be realized so much sooner!

He needed more.

More power.

He didn't see the jewel of his sword's pommel flash purple for a second, before the light faded, and he continued to watch his brother, who was leaping off the wall and using enemies as stepping stones while slashing his sword. In a matter of moments, only Taven stood, surrounded by charred walls and the dented steel lockers. With a flourish, he placed Alucard back on his back, and with a sigh muttered, "Welp...next building."

Vlad nodded, and the two began to make their way to the most stable flight of stairs.

**Hours Later**

"You know, I bet you would taste great if I fried you with some peppers." Said Arya, stirring a pot of gruel that barely qualified as soup. Across from her, a voice sighed and said, "I wonder if I should be worried at how used to your threats I've become."

The speaker was none other than Umio, Uzume's closest friend and confidant. Looking up, Arya grinned at the half fish...man...thing across from her. Umio had the face and voice of a handsome man, but the rest of him was a full on fish, with bright blue scales and yellow fins. Even her time in the underworld couldn't prepare her for how disconcerting he was to look at.

It had been three weeks since the brothers had returned to camp, followed by an amicable Uzume. One could imagine their surprise when Uzume explained to them that she was in fact this version of Planeptune's CPU, and that she'd been following them for some time. Vlad and Mundez were a little weary, wondering why she didn't just approach them, but Taven decided to stick up for her.

"Throw her a bone Pops. She seems like she has a good head on her shoulders." Seeing no reason to disagree, Arya had voiced her support in hearing Uzume out.

So now here they were, in one of Uzume's many bases, with her brothers out hunting for Share crystals, the source of Uzume's power. Meanwhile, Arya was still working on her seals and trying to create a gateway to get back home, though with little progress.

Mundez was fully recovered from the wound Arfoire dealt him, and decided to help train Taven in his swordsmanship, knowing he was now powerless to stop his youngest from jumping into battle. He also helped Arya with her seals, often raiding abandoned stores for pen and paper so that she could practice making them.

Arya's musing was cut short when a voice behind her said, "Hey Arry, is it too late to add this to the stew?" She turned to see a grinning Uzume, holding a dead Rabii in her hand. Uzume, for some reason, gave them nicknames, saying that their names were all too hard to pronounce.

Really? Well, at least they were funny.

Arya was Arry

Mundez somehow became Monday

Taven became Tavy, (It was almost Taffy...Taven protested...vehemently.)

Vlad simply became 'V'

Back in the present, Arya grinned and held up a skinning knife. "Nope!" Umio sighed at her antics. Even though Taven stood up for her first, Arya became Uzume's first friend in the group, with Uzume saying that Arya being a mage was one of the coolest things she'd seen in a long time.

With a small smile Umio greeted his comrade. "Uzume, I take it that your patrol is going well?"

"You know it. I decided I was due for a lunch break."

Arya sweatdropped and said, "You could have picked up my brothers." Uzume simply shrugged as she tossed her the dead monster. "I figured they could stay out a little longer. Taven seemed like he had some frustrations to work out."

"He 'has' been wearing a scowl lately." Noted Umio. He then turned to Arya. "Does it perhaps have something to do with his heritage?"

Uzume and Umio were shocked to learn that they were all demons, kind of. In truth, Mundez was the only full demon there, his kids being half demon. Even so, Uzume chose not to judge them, and still offered them shelter.

Arya shrugged and said, "He 'is' at the age where he'd seek his first mate. Puberty can be a bitch, but I've never seen a reaction 'this' bad."

"Its because he already has someone in mind." Said a new voice, causing them all to turn and see Mundez.

Umio quirked an eyebrow and said, "Mr. Mundez, would you care to elaborate?"

Mundez took a seat next to Uzume, staring down at the fire as he said, "His...frustrations... are due to the fact that he subconsciously has a mate in mind. If this was not the case, he would be slightly irritable at most."

"Basically, he already has feelings for someone?" Said Uzume, tilting her head, and getting a nod from Mundez. Arya winced in sympathy for Taven. Too experience the demonic equivalent of blue balls was one thing, but to also be away from someone you love, someone you consider to be an ideal partner...she shuddered to imagine.

Vampires placed great importance on their families, their broods, and Arya decided to put triple the effort in finding a way back home. Her brother would 'not' be denied this chance to be with someone he loved.

(Now I have to bug him about his crush though.) Thought Arya with a small grin. Maybe a bit of teasing would be good for him.

_Taven growled low in throat as IF traced small lines on his bare chest. At the moment, she was straddling him on top of his bed, wearing only her bra, and grinding against him with her exposed sex. The low moans that escaped her only served to excite him, and his hands weren't idle, gliding atop her thighs before resting on her hips. Lifting his back off the bed, he met her lips in a soft kiss, his tongue pressing against her lips for entry, which she gladly allowed._

_Her hands gripped the back of his head as she pressed herself against him. When they broke apart, he began trailing small kisses along her neck, enjoying her small shivers as his hands reached for the clip of her bra. As much as he wanted to just rip the offending fabric off, he decided to take his time and unclip it, though he contemptuously tossed it to the far side of the room before he drew back and took in the full view of her naked form._

_The blush on her face caused him to smile, and her expression became downright adorable when his hands began fondling the perky breasts, small gasps escaping her as he actually enveloped one of her nipples in his mouth, feeling the nub harden as his tongue ran over it, while lightly pinching the second with his free hand, and occasionally switching between them._

_So engrossed in this, he wasn't prepared when he felt her hand suddenly wrap around his length, and he lightly bit down on her nipple as a response, getting a moan in response. Reluctantly pulling back, he allowed IF to push him back on the bed, biting back his own moans as he watched her slowly stroke him, her eyes lidded with lust. _

_Though disappointed when she stopped, his anticipation returned when he saw her raise her lower body and aim his member towards her entrance. He was more than ready, and had his hands on her hips as she slowly began to come down._

His eyes shot open as the sound of knocking bounced off the wall of his room. Quickly sitting up in the bed, he groaned as he felt a familiar...sensation...below deck.

Damn it...at least he had more boxers from the last raid.

Another round of knocking caused his eyes to narrow before he said, "I'm up! Damn!"

From the other side of the door, Arya's voice said, "Breakfast is ready! Better hurry before Uzume eats it all again!"

Taven growled, and heard her walk down the hallway, thanking lady luck that she didn't open the door. He did not want to try and hide the results of his wet dream, Celestia knows the awkwardness that would ensue.

(But holy shit...that was the most vivid dream yet. Will I be able to control myself if I see her again?) Images from the dream flashed through his mind, and he slapped himself before the blood rushed to his 'sword'.

(I'd better go...Uzume leaves nothing behind in her hunger.)

Vlad watched his brother practice with his weapon's axe form, trying to create an effective style that would allow him to use its powerful blow to his advantage. To add to this, his eyes were currently glowing red, as he was also training in controling his demonic power, and Vlad scowled as he felt his little brothers power clash with his presence. His demonic heritage took none too kindly to this supposed challenge, and he simply settled for glaring.

(A few months with this power, and this is what he's capable of.) Envy began to rear its ugly head, and the vampire-demon hybrid felt his fingers twitch. Memories of his mother flashed through his mind, and his anger began to rise. Did the gods take some sort of sick pleasure in denying him? Mundez was the cause for his mother's death, yet the power he desired, the power he needed to avenge her, looked to be gifted to Taven.

With a low growl, he settled his gaze on the weapon his brother wielded, Alucard. Perhaps that blade had something to do with it.

His decision made, Vlad began to step forward, setting his expression in a glare before he turned unsheathed his sword. Hearing this, Taven froze mid-swing and turned to Vlad, his eyes widening somewhat as he regarded him.

"Umm, what's up?"

"I believe its time we escalated your training." Said Vlad, settling into a ready stance, while Taven shifted Alucard to its sword form. Though confused, his interest was piqued. What did Vlad mean by an 'escalation'?

Taven widened his own stance and stared Vlad down as he asked, "So...what are the rules for this fight? First blood? First to hit the ground?"

"First to suffer a serious wound." Said Vlad, his voice void of emotion while Taven's eyes widened. "A serious...wound? The hell does 'that' mean?"

Instead of words, Vlad answered with a downward sweep of his sword, closing the distance using his vampiric speed, and causing Taven to skid back a few feet as he blocked with the broadside of his sword. Just as he regained his bearings, Vlad was upon him again, his katana moving to lop off his head, and forcing Taven to duck under the attack and retaliate with a sweep for Vlad's legs.

The vampire hybrid swiftly leapt up and over Taven, causing the boy to stumble, having overcommitted to the attack. A yell of pain escaped him as his shoulder suddenly erupted in pain, Vlad having sliced at his exposed back as he landed behind Taven. With gritted teeth, he turned and swung Alucard for Vlad's shoulder, only for his attack to be halted and caught in a deadlock with his brother's katana. Expression unchanging, Vlad slammed the end of his sheath into Taven's diaphragm, the force of the blow knocking the wind out of him as he was sent flying back.

He hit the ground with an audible thud, sliding a couple of meters before coming to a stop, allowing him to gasp for air, coughing as his body tried to decide on whether to exhale or inhale. His eyes flashed red as his temper flared, his anger rising as he felt the warm sensation of blood running down his left arm. Vlad's eyes narrowed as he watched Taven push himself to his feet, before he was hit with his younger brother's glare.

Words were no longer an option, or necessary. Exhaling, both brothers lowered their stances, with Vlad sheathing his blade, while Taven gripped the handle of his sword with both hands and pointed the business end to his brother's chest. At an unspoken signal, the dashed towards each other in a quick burst of speed, becoming blurs until they met in the middle of their battleground.

Vlad unsheathed his blade and deflected Taven's overhead strike, letting the momentum spin him around Taven's flank, with Taven spinning and intercepting his katana mid-strike. A loud clang echoed, then another, and another, as the two brothers began to engage in a fierce and deadly dance. They rarely stayed in once place, their feet constantly sliding and stepping, and their blades moving so fast that they appeared to be a blur to any outsider.

Sparks flew each time they clashed, and occasionally, small droplets of blood as they each managed a grazing blow. Taven was able to ignore it for the most part, but Vlad seemed to get angrier as he felt each small cut on his person. It should have been impossible! Someone like him, with a lifetime of experience, was being rivalled by a boy who had yet to reach manhood by human standards!?

On his end, Taven found himself unable to comprehend where this ferocity came from. Vlad was usually calm, and focused! But now, Taven found himself just barely avoiding what would normally be fatal blows to a normal person. Then there was the fact that his wounds

Taven deflected a swipe, and parried a thrust from his brother, before returning the favor and swinging for his brother's shoulder. The first attempt was thwarted by his brother blocking with his weapon's sheath, but his second attack managed to land a grazing cut along the upper arm. He saw Vlad's eyes briefly follow the drops of blood from his wound, before he snarled, and to Taven's shock, spun on his foot and kicked out with his right leg, the heel of his boot striking Taven's temple and sending him flying.

Though dazed, he managed to angle his body and roll onto the ground rather than crash, recovering on one knee and holding Alucard horizontally across his body, ready to block a follow up attack. Instead, he only saw Vlad staring down at the newest wound on his arm. Taven tensed when he slowly turned to him, and with a scowl, sheathed his blade once again, before dashing forward.

Taven began to focus his power to Alucard, the liquid fire glowing as it absorbed the energy, before he leapt back, narrowly avoiding a slash and shifting into a reverse grip with his blade while still powering his blade up.

Landing in a crouch, Taven felt his sword begin to vibrate, as a visible purple aura began to surround it, before he rapidly swung Alucard three times.

**"Drive!"**

Swathes of violet energy launched out with each swing, the sight actually shocking Vlad enough that he was too slow to defend himself. Blood splattered the ground as the waves of energy shred through his shirt and sliced into his torso, with enough force to send 'him' tumbling backwards, and allowing Taven to breathe a little easier as he watched Vlad get sprawled out by his newest attack.

During one of his hunts, Taven, had become aware of his sword...leeching off his power. Deciding to experiment, he began to feed power into his blade, until the fire in the sword's veins began to overflow. In a panic, he swung his sword, and was shocked to see the blade of energy leaping off his blade, while his sword returned to its normal state. Thus, a new technique had been born.

Back in the present, Taven slowly got to his feet, wincing in pain, and sympathy for his brother. Regret began to well up as he saw the splotches of blood that now painted the battlefield, with Vlad pushing himself back to his feet, using his sword's sheath to steady himself. The jewel on his blade's pommel was now glowing brightly, as he set Taven with a blood freezing glare, blood running down his face.

Taven decided that enough was enough, and strapped his sword on his back, which confused and angered Vlad.

"Draw your blade, Taven! This battle is far from done!"

"I recall 'you' saying that the winner was whoever could land a serious wound." Said Taven. Tensing as he watched Vlad's hand tighten around the hilt of his blade, before he growled, and sheathed his blade. For a moment, the two brothers stared each other down, before Vlad scoffed and began to walk away, wiping the blood from his face, and leaving Taven alone.

Feeling suddenly fatigued, Taven fell back against a nearby wall and slowly slid down. With a sigh, he stared down at the many cuts on his jacket and pants. Closing his eyes, he called on the meditation techniques taught to him by his father, and focused on calming his body down. After a few minutes, he felt the tension slowly leave him, and took deep breaths, feeling his wounds closing, as the fatigue began to disappear.

That had been the fiercest fight he'd ever took part in. For a moment, he thought Vlad was actually aiming to 'kill' him. Then there was the condition of the battle.

Serious injury? They may be able to heal, but why would Vlad 'want' to risk it?

(Maybe he's pissed about something. Goddesses know I've been on edge lately.)

For a brief moment, he recalled the image of IF's naked body hovering over him, her eyes full of love and lust. That image had been burned into his mind, and he sighed again as he felt his heart begin to beat faster. He'd just gotten it to calm down too! His eyes being closed did little to dispel the image.

Before he could settle into another meditative trance, a voice in front of him suddenly yelled, "Holy shit! What the hell happened to you!?"

His eyes opened, and he found himself staring up into a pair of wide and worried orange eyes. It was Uzume, and to his shock, she wasn't alone, because behind her stood...!

"Lady...Neptune!? Lady Nepgear!?"

The aforementioned CPU held up a peace sign, and with a smug grin said, "That's right! Its about time the author got me in on this action! See you guys next chapter!"


	13. Calm Before The Storm

"IF...do you want to talk?" The soft and gentle tone of Compa prompted IF to sigh as she inspected her Katars. She was currently in Planeptune's Basilicom, more specifically, the training room, and just finished a particularly harsh training session against some training bots. As underutilized as it was, Histoire made sure to keep all the technology within up to date, and Compa decided to tag along during these training sessions in order to heal IF.

Compa watched as IF shrugged on her blue trenchcoat, hiding the new bandages Compa had just wrapped on her. She had been this way since Taven's disappearance, and it had only gotten worse after Neptune and Nepgear had disappeared a few days ago. She had become cold, and many of her fellow guild members were starting to call her the 'Cold Hearted Gust', in reference to how she operated in battle now. The way she dispatched of her opponents made her scarier than the monsters she hunted.

Compa's eyes held a sad look as she watched IF shake her head in response to her question. She hardly talked anymore, and for Compa to see her childhood friend practically grieving, it hurt the tender hearted nurse in training. She knew how IF was feeling. The girl felt useless, and was angry that she could do nothing as her friends were taken from her, despite her inability to effect either scenario.

She had no way to break the barrier that had trapped Taven and his father, and she wasn't even in the Basilicom when Neptune and Nepgear disappeared. Even so, for someone like IF, the fact that she had no control was as even worse.

With IF giving her the cold shoulder, Compa finally decided to pull a Neptune, and just attack this depression with as little tact as possible. "You can't blame yourself for what happened!"

IF turned to Compa with narrowed eyes, and muttered, "I can and I will. I wasn't strong enough. Its as simple as that."

"Nep-Nep and Gear-chan wouldn't want you to. And your boyfriend wouldn't want you to be sad either!"

That broke IF out of her stupor, as she turned to Compa with a disbelieving look as she said, "W-what do you mean b-b-boyfriend!?" To Compa, this was great, as it was the first time IF had been shocked out of her cold demeanor, and she chose to capitalize on it.

"Yeah! That boy you liked, Taven! When he comes back, I bet he would want to see you smile! So...you should smile! You need to be ready when he-!"

"He's not my boyfriend Compa! He and I...we were just..." IF looked off to the side, and Compa continued to press on.

"I've been a nurse long enough to recognize the symptoms of someone in love Iffy! If you just accept your feelings, then maybe it will stop hurting so much!"

IF suddenly turned to Compa with a heated glare!

"Or maybe it will make it hurt even more! If I admit it, I'll just accept that I was too late to...too late...tell him..." Her anger was short-lived however, and she was soon breaking down in tears as the realization of her feelings hit her, and Compa simply allowed the girl to lean on her shoulder as she briefly let the walls she'd built up collapse.

Compa was a symbol of comfort, holding IF close to her and gently rubbing her shoulders as the girl shook with small sobs. "Its not too late Iffy. Something tells me that...they'll be back soon. If we're lucky, maybe Nep-Nep and Gear-chan ran into them."

Taven gritted his teeth as he called on his inner power, a violet aura shrouding his body, as well as the faintest outline of a humanoid skeleton's torso surrounding him. He was shirtless, not wanting his jacket to get soaked by the rain currently pelting his body, each drop stinging his skin, and serving to fuel his agitation as he continued trying to enter 'that' again.

Arya had described how his power had exploded in the climax of their battle against Arfoire, how he was able to summon a spectral samurai. Taven, wishing to be stronger, so as to be ready to take that witch down, had thus begun to dedicate his training in calling on that power again.

"C-come on! A little...more!"

He was holding his hands out in front of him, fingers entwined in the 'Tiger' ninja seal that he saw on an anime about ninja. Perhaps it looked funny to outsiders, but Taven found it to be helpful. His efforts so far lead to him barely summoning the aforementioned skeleton, as well as the aura cloaking his form. With gritted teeth, he continued to draw on the pain the racking his body as the stinging rain began to fall harder.

Slowly, the skeleton started to look more solid, and even managed to partially block some of the rain as it became more corporeal. A grunt of pain escaped him as his head began to throb, and he looked down at the puddle that had formed between his feet. A flash of lightning revealed his reflection, and he was shocked to see that blood was running down from his eyes, as well as out his nose!

That appeared to be his only warning, before the sensation of being stabbed racked his body and he collapsed to his hands and knees. The spectral skeleton, as well as the violet aura around his body left him instantly, allowing the rain to pour down on his back as he coughed violently, his hand covering his mouth.

Once his coughing fit had subsided, he pulled his hand away, and growled at the blood coating his palm.

(Again with this! Why is this shit now hurting me!? This never happened before!) It was true. Recently, after his battle with Vlad...drawing on his demonic power had become much harder, and as he was currently experiencing, it was starting to become a painful endeavor as well. He could still draw on it for short bursts of speed and power, but his efforts to fully summon the spectral warrior often ended in failure.

Picking himself up, he made his way towards the door that would lead him back down into the building, not bothering to try and dry off. As he made his way down the dim stairwell, he briefly recalled the events of the past month.

(So, Lady Neptune and Nepgear...somehow...they arrived in this dimension, though their method of transport wasn't like ours.) To Taven, this was a good thing...kind of. If the two goddesses were able to come here via a different method, then there was plenty of reason to believe that there was a plausible way back.

His musing was cut short by the sound of chatter as he approached the bottom floor. He could hear Neptune and Uzume talking, as well as Arya. He could also hear his father, and even...Umio? Huh, it wasn't too impossible for them to get along. After all, they both had to raise rather rebellious kids. Well, Uzume couldn't really be considered a kid, being a goddess, but you get the idea.

Once he reached the bottom floor of the shop they took residence in, he was greeted with the sight of Neptune, Nepgear, and Uzume roasting what looked like marshmallows around a small campfire. Where the hell did the marshmallows come from?

Behind the run down counter and register, Umio and Mundez appeared to be discussing a strategy as they looked over a map of the city. Words such as 'appear' and 'escape' slipped through, but Taven decided to not dig into the situation. With a small sigh, he saw that Vlad was still gone, likely training as Taven had.

That was what he 'wanted' to believe anyway. He had become aware of the fact that Vlad had suddenly gained a...twisted feel in his presence, shortly after their little duel. The warm and brief bond that the brothers had...seemed to be severed, with Vlad looking at Taven as he would any other enemy.

He barely saw his brother anymore, and whenever Vlad was around, he treated everyone with the cold shoulder, giving curt responses to queries regarding his whereabouts and activities. Needless to say, Taven felt a chill whenever the two of them were in the same room, as messed up as it was, Taven had Alucard close at hand whenever they were.

Deciding to quickly move so as not to disturb everyone, Taven hugged the wall and began to walk around the edges of the room, making his way over to his own living space. He was almost successful, until Arya suddenly yelled, "Hey Taven! Come and sit with us! We got marshies here with your name on them!"

Taven turned, and noted with amusement how Nepgear was blushing as she looked at him, while Neptune simply stared with eyes full of innocence, not even phased that there was a shirtless boy in front of her. Knowing he wouldn't be able to get away now, Taven decided to simply join in. He had no reason to avoid them. "Let me get a shirt."

A minute later, he was wearing a dry set of clothes as he watched his marshmallow melt. Uzume and Neptune were chattering about...pudding? Meanwhile, Arya was scrolling through her sketches, trying to come up with more sealing arrays. This left Taven and Nepgear with no one to talk to. Well, before Taven asked, "Lady Nepgear, you were friends with IF...right?"

Blinking, Nepgear nodded and said, "I am...and you don't have to call me Lady Nepgear. Any friend of IF is a friend of mine."

To this, the boy nodded, and a moment passed before he then asked, "Say I wanted to get her a gift. What sort of things would I get her?"

"That depends on what sort of message you would want to send with that gift." Said Nepgear, replacing her marshmallow and roasting anew as she waited for his response. What he said next nearly caused her to drop her stick into the fire.

"How about a confession?"

Taven suddenly became aware of how quiet it had suddenly gotten, and a quick glance around showed that everyone, even his father was staring at him with interest. All Taven could say in response to this was, "What? Was it something I said?"

"You don't beat around the bush...do you?" Asked Uzume.

"Of course not Uzume. The author is saving that for his next story." Said Neptune, confusing everyone.

"What?" Asked Taven.

"What?" Asked Neptune, as if she didn't break the fourth wall.

Before anyone could say anything more, the shop's door opened, the small bell signaling the entrance of a drenched Vlad, who's haggard appearance alarmed Arya and Mundez.

It had been a week since he'd left on a solo 'expedition', which was code for him doing solo training.

"Vlad! Where have you been?" Asked the concerned father, only to flinch at the cold stare he got in return. Taven turned his head slightly with a small glare as Vlad began to walk across the room, sparing no one a second glance as he made his way towards his own room. The silence continued, even after Vlad was out of sight, until Mundez moved to follow Vlad, and only broken by Uzume when she suddenly said, "Holy crap, Tavy! Your nose!"

Confused, Taven reached up to his nose, and upon pulling his hand away, he was shocked to see blood on his fingers! Damn, was his body 'still' healing? That was...concerning. Of course, Neptune couldn't resist the opportunity to tease.

"Having some perverted thoughts there buddy?" She snickered, until she saw the concerned look he had on his face as he wiped at his nose. She heard him mutter, "Dammit...its getting worse."

"What's getting worse?" Asked Nepgear.

Sighing, Taven muttered, "I'm...trying to draw on that power I used against Arfoire. As powerful as she was, I was able to match her. However, now...its getting harder for me to draw on the ability."

Before anyone could say anything, Arya was suddenly behind him, lifting the back of his shirt and placing her hand on the skin between his shoulder blades.

"A-Arya...what the hell are you-!"

"Shut it. Just try drawing on your power, I want to test something."

Taven shared a look with the three goddesses in front of him, before shrugging and taking a deep breath. By now, Umio had decided to join the girls, watching with curiosity as a light violet aura began to surround Taven's form. Behind him, Arya's hand began to glow with a red energy, forming a glyph on the skin of his back that slowly rotated one way then another.

"What do you think she's looking for?" Whispered Neptune, watching as Enju occasionally winced in pain. Uzume and Nepgear watched in worry as the glyph began to rotate faster, with Arya's expression becoming more serious as she continued.

Thankfully, Umio was able to come up with a solid theory. "Based on what is happening, it is my belief that Arya is reading Taven's energy, and her glyph is scanning its makeup in order to determine what is harming Taven, and based on her expression..."

Here, Arya winced in pain, nearly pulling her hand away as Taven's aura began to envelop her arm.

"...it has manifested into something harmful. In case you've forgotten, they 'are' demons...well, half demon. Perhaps the power he has...malfunctioned."

"Malfunctioned? So what...Tavy's a robot now?" Asked Uzume, a question mark appearing over her head.

"Ohh...maybe he has a barcode or something." Said Neptune, with Nepgear sweatdropping and muttering, "Sis, he isn't a robot."

Umio shook his head. "Indeed. What I meant to say, was that perhaps the power he's been using has become...toxic. He 'is' half human as well, and I can't imagine that demonic energy mixes too well inside his mortal coil."

Uzume shivered at this.

The way Umio was explaining it...he made it sound like that Taven had some sort of demonic cancer!

What if he started losing his hair!?

Learning of Taven's demonic heritage, as well as the rest of his family, had been the mother of all mind blown moments, almost literally in Neptune's case. The concept of there being such a thing as 'good' demons was almost a contradiction in of itself, but with Uzume already vouching for them, the goddesses of Planeptune found it easy to ally with them, with Neptune being glad to finally meet Taven, who her friend IF seemed to obsess over, despite her efforts to play dumb to her growing feelings.

A minute later, Arya's eyes widened, and she cut off the spell, with Taven exhaling and releasing the energy around his body, though another trickle of blood fell from his nose.

Everyone looked to Arya, waiting for a breakdown of what she discovered, and were more than a little shocked as she suddenly slapped herself and said, "Stupid! Stupid! How did I 'not' connect the damn dots! I fucking fought beside her for years!"

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" Asked Taven, none too amused at the fact that he now had to find a different shirt.

"Okay...but...its going to be a bit of a shock to you."

"I'm ready."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you 'really' sure?"

"Arya..." Growled Taven, with Arya nervously chuckling and saying, "Sorry...my mind is still reeling over here."

"Take your time...the fact that you found anything is a stroke of good luck. If we can cure Taven's ailment-!"

"Ailment? Oh no...he's not sick. He's suffering side effects." Said Arya, causing everyone to stare at her with blank expressions. A few moments later...Neptune murmured, "So...Taven's doing drugs?"

"The fuck I am!" Yelled the accused drug user in indignation.

"Woah...Taven, you can talk to us if you want." Said Uzume, causing Taven to facepalm as he muttered, "Please...stop."

"The first step is admitting that you have a problem." Offered Neptune, causing the boy to deadpan.

"I'm sorry...but am I getting a lecture from a 'pudding addict'?"

"it is 'not' an addiction! Its a lifestyle!"

Umio, meanwhile, sighed and said, "Arya...can you please clarify what you mean by 'side effects' before we get 'too' off track."

Nodding, Arya said, "He's 'not' on drugs. The 'side effects' are the result of his...clashing heritage. Tell me Taven...whenever you drew on this power in the past, how did you feel...from start to finish."

The last part briefly confused Taven, but then he recalled the fiercer battles where he called on his demonic power. The most clear memory he had, was when he fought against the group known as Gold Third.

"At first...I felt the usual bloodlust, the desire for...carnage. But, the longer the fights went on, the more clearly I could think. Hell...sometimes I felt pretty fucking zen."

Arya nodded in response to this.

"So from bloodlust...to being at peace. Not to mention the ghost samurai you summoned against Arfoire. Taven...you weren't drawing on your demonic power. All this time...you've been fighting using the powers of an Exorcist."

A moment of silence passed, before Taven said...

"Nani the fuck?"

Vlad nearly collapsed on the bed, with Mundez just managing to catch him before he could land face first, and helping him lie on his back.

"You're a mess, Vlad."

"Forgive me father. I simply expended a little 'too' much effort this ti-!"

"I don't mean your current state, son. Though...it 'is' rather concerning. I'm talking about your attitude."

To this, Vlad scoffed, causing Mundez's eyes to flash red for an instant.

Perhaps Mundez had been robbed of his power, but seeing 'that'...Vlad couldn't help but freeze. It brought back memories of his childhood, of the rare instances of when his father had been enraged.

Seeing that he had his son's attention, Mundez looked down at his son and said, "I'm nipping this in the bud...right here, right now. Your treatment of our fellows has been less than commendable."

Vlad bit his tongue, resisting the urge to protest on 'why' he had to give them any courtesy. However, his thoughts were reflected on his face, and Mundez continued.

"As of late...you have been acting short with your siblings, and the others. Your brother is already grappling with the fact of his heritage, and your actions are 'not' helping him come to terms with it."

"There it is...always defending the 'baby'. In case you haven't noticed father...Taven is on the cusp of manhood, and your constant coddling is more of a detriment than anything else!" Snapped Vlad.

He prepared himself for his father's outburst, for some form of denial, and he tensed when he saw his father's hand reach for him. Vlad sighed and closed his eyes, awaiting his punishment. However, instead of a physical attack, Mundez actually took Vlad's sword off of him.

Feeling the weight of his sword disappear, Vlad sat up in his bed, and opened his mouth to protest, but Mundez beat him to it.

"You are acting out like a child, and I don't feel comfortable letting a child have this sword." Said Mundez, almost smirking at the look of indignation Vlad had on his face. He may not have his powers, but even someone as powerful as Vlad refused to defy his parent.

"If you wish to get this back...then you 'will' show me you deserve it. Apologize for your behavior, and then join your brother on his next scouting patrol, and actually 'talk' to him."

"Am I being...grounded!?" Asked Vlad, with Mundez nodding and saying, "Yes. Now, get some sleep, and think about what I said."

As Mundez left the room, Vlad stared up at the ceiling of his room, feeling a mixture of anger, embarrassment, and though he wouldn't admit it...the smallest bit of shame.

Deep down, he knew he was acting out of line, and he knew that he should be glad that Taven was actually as strong as he was, but the ugly monster known as envy continued to gnaw at him. Needless to say, he had trouble sleeping with all of this in mind.

"We should go around."

"Why?"

"Let me just say that...I have a complicated relationship with caves."

Vlad quirked an eyebrow at Taven's statement, then glanced back at the large entrance to the cave in front of them. One of the Baby Bugs, who somehow got the cruel name of Fried Shrimp, said that there might share crystals within, and the brothers volunteered to retrieve them while the others prepared to move from their current hideout.

Vlad was also without his sword, not yet apologizing, but making an honest effort to be more approachable to the others. before they set out, Mundez had thrown him a subtle nod of approval for his efforts.

Another thing he noted, was that it was actually a little...relaxing without that sword. His thoughts felt more concise, more clear.

With a sigh, Taven muttered, "Alright, lets get this over with."

Vlad actually smirked as he walked behind his brother. With the monsters he had slain, and the dangers he'd faced, who knew that Taven's biggest fear would actually be caves?

"I can feel you smirking back there. Its a legitimate fear! Every time I've entered a cave..." And so he began to recount the crazy 'Cave Tales', which made the first few minutes pass by quickly.

Unknown to either, a figure was following the two from a distance, and she held a smirk that was none too friendly as she watched the brothers descend into the darkness.

An hour later, Vlad was being forced to dodge as a Fenrir attempted to shred him to pieces with its claws, while Taven shot down the rest of the pack with his pistols. After blasting back one of the pups with a shot to the head, Taven aimed his blue gun towards the alpha attacking Vlad, and fired three rounds into its side, getting its attention, and giving Vlad some breathing room as the monster charged him.

With almost casual ease, Taven sidestepped the charge, and brought his sword down on its neck as it passed, beheading the Fenrir, and causing the rest of the pack to retreat upon seeing the death of their Alpha.

As the monsters left them, Taven turned to Vlad and said, "Yeah...who's laughing now?"

"One should expect monsters when entering a cave."

"Oh really? Then why were you running like a little bitch?"

"Did you not see those claws?"

A silence passed, before the two chuckled, with Taven tossing him his pistols.

"I know your good at magic, but at least have a weapon next time."

Inspecting the pistols, Vlad nodded in thanks, before he noticed Taven's expression become a curious one. "Is something on your mind?"

"Yeah...last night...I learned some things. About my powers."

"That's right...you've been trying to summon that specter for a while now. What about it?"

Taven closed his eyes and after a few seconds, his body was shrouded in a violet aura, and his eyes were glowing red. Turning to Vlad, he said, "Arya did some sort magical scan on me. Turns out, I've been drawing on...exorcist powers. Apparently its locking my ability to draw on my demonic power."

Vlad's eyes widened in surprise.

"Exorcist? I knew your mother came from a powerful lineage, but to think that it would be the 'dominant' energy within you...is a little terrifying."

"How so? Ever since our little duel, this shit has started hurting me. Hell, I was bleeding from the nose when I tried summoning the ghost samurai." With that, Taven deactivated the aura, and rubbed his nose as a small rivulet of blood came down.

Guilt stabbed through Vlad, and he could only watch as his brother continued down the path. "Can we hurry this up? This Share Crystal should be close by now? The sooner we leave this cave...the better-!?"

A flash of light was their only warning, as the passageway behind them suddenly collapsed! Thousands of pounds came crashing down in the form of boulders, preceded by the a loud explosion, the shockwave causing them to stumble as Taven yelled, "What the fuck!?"

From the cloud of dust another flash of light illuminated the area, and before Taven could react, Vlad had grabbed him and he felt his feet leave the ground, as well as the brief moment of weightlessness as his vision spun, before a sudden jolt caused the two to come apart, with Taven landing on his side as he hit the stone floor.

Taven groaned in pain as he rolled to his feet, a few pebbles from the part of the wall he crashed into falling on his head. Turning he was shocked to see that Vlad was unconscious, blood flowing from a wound on his head, as well as blood leaking from his mouth. Vlad had taken the brunt of the impact for him!

Eyes flashing red, he snapped his gaze towards their attacker, his hand grabbing the hilt of his blade as his mind flashbacked to that night. The night his father was attacked, the night when he was sent to this hell!

Before him stood Arfoire, her hand on her hip as she said, "It looks like my aim was off by just a little. At least I managed to take out the bastard over there. He had some nerve...calling me a witch!"

Arfoire scoffed as Taven unstrapped Alucard, his eyes glowing red as he began to slowly move himself to one side, covering her flank. With a smug smirk she said, "Then there's 'you'...I need to pay you back."

"Where the hell did you come from?" Demanded Taven, the fire within his blade glowing brighter as it fed off his rage. However, he felt a burning sensation run over his body as he began to subtly draw on his power.

(Shit! Its getting worse! At best I only have...!)

She chuckled and said, "I've been following you brats for a while. Since you first appeared in this world, and now...now is the perfect opportunity to take you out."

With a flourish of her staff, Arfoire cackled and said, "Tremble before me, demon scum! For I am Arfoire, the destroyer of this realm!"

"Destroyer of my patience!" Yelled Taven charging forward.

It was time for round two!

**Omake: Nepstation**

Neptune: "Like a bug out of the woodwork, Arbore makes her appearance!"

Nepgear: "Neptune, her name is 'Arfoire'."

Neptune: "Either way...after a long hiatus, Taven is forced to fight alone! Against the villain who banished him to the Zero Dimension

Nepgear: "With Taven's power poisoning him, and his brother unable to help, Taven must push beyond his limit, but perhaps it proves to be too much? Will something Drastic need to happen?

Neptune: A new arrival also makes her entrance

Both: Next time, Bond Through Blood! Desperate times call for desperate measures!

((Sorry for the long wait. Some family issues came up, and I took a small break to avoid burning out on this story. Hope you enjoy!))


	14. An Unexpected Turn

Arfoire gave Taven credit, he was determined, and his attacks managed to come close a few times, even clashing with her staff. However, he was suffering the side effects of her poison.

What poison you ask? Well, it wasn't poison in the regular sense. The sword she had used against the brat's father did more than absorb his power. Knowing these demon brutes, they likely clashed a few times with their blades, and with Taven's unique heritage, every time the katana made contact with his flesh, it forced his demonic blood to come to the fore, and thus caused his Exorcist power to fight against it, to the point that it was practically a disease.

With his body slowly destroying itself from the inside out, worsening whenever he drew on his power, Arfoire had no real worries against fighting him. However, not everything went to plan. With the sword enhancing demonic traits, she didn't expect the older brother to actually 'protect' Taven. Hell, he should have snapped by now and killed his younger brother.

Perhaps Taven's power acted as a suppressant, slowing the effe-!

Her train of thought was interrupted when Taven nearly bisected her with his sword, her staff catching the blow and causing her to skid back on the stone floor. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the feeling of her bones shaking and prepared herself as Taven was on her again.

The clang of steel echoed throughout the cavern as he pressed her back with a swift combination of slashes and thrusts, designed to knock her off balance and take away her ability to use her magic.

A moment later, his assault actually managed to break through her defense and he managed to graze her arm with his sword, causing her to cry out as the wound did more than sting, the fire within the blade causing the wound to burn as she fell on her back.

Taven raised his blade to finish her off, but was halted when he suddenly fell under a violent coughing fit, which caused him to stumble, and Arfoire to smile. Right on time.

Thinking fast, she kicked out and swept his legs out from under him, causing 'him' to fall on his back as she got to her feet. Leaping back to his feet, Taven practically roared and swung for her head, intent on ending her once and for all.

Arfoire laughed as she leapt away from Taven's attack, the force of the blow sending a wave of fire after her. With one deft movement, she avoided the fire slash, and watched as Taven rushed her. With a scoff, she sent a hail of ice spikes in his direction, with the boy managing to deflect and dodge the projectiles, until one found itself lodged in his stomach, stopping him in his tracks, and leaving him open for a second ice spike in the shoulder, which caused him to curse and stumble backwards while clutching at the bloody ice in his gut.

With a growl he yanked it out, spraying blood as he tossed it aside, before doing the same for the one in his shoulder. Arfoire watched as he did so, smirking as he shakily straightened his stance and glared at her.

(How interesting. I thought the poison would be enough, but it seems that he is also suffering from something else. Either way...the sword did its job. I will not be stopped by the blood of Sparda, or his kin.)

With a wave of her hand, she sent a ball of fire back to him, smirking as he leapt to the side, ending with a roll to one knee as he reached for his-!

(My guns! That's right, I gave them to Vlad!)

While he was distracted, Arfoire cackled again and began firing volleys of energy towards Taven, who found himself barely dodging the attacks as he began running off to the side. Stones were blasted apart as they missed him, but Taven found himself unable to dodge every one of the attacks, as two struck his left arm and his ankle, causing him to stumble and fall face first to the ground. This caused the woman to laugh harder, which irritated Taven as he forced himself back to his feet, blood staining the ground below. Tightening his grip on his sword, Taven actually began to run towards Arfoire again!

Shaking her head, Arfoire lifted her hand upwards, summoning a wall of ice in front of her. (This ice stronger than steel, I'd like to try and see you get through-!"

Her train of thought was shot when the tip of Alucard suddenly burst through the ice, glowing with crimson flames as the heat began to melt the ice. A moment later, Taven came crashing through, sending large chunks of ice flying towards Arfoire, who barely managed to block his sword with her staff as he brought it down towards her skull.

Now in a deadlock, the woman couldn't help but flinch as she stared into his eyes, glowing with hatred and promising a world of pain as he growled, "First, I'm going to rip out your eyes, then, I'm going to rip you **limb from limb!"**

The distortion in his vice was followed by his body being shrouded in his telltale violet aura. However, blood began to flow from his nose, as well as his eyes as he began to push her back. Arfoire grit her teeth, more than a little pissed that this 'boy' was actually forcing her on her back foot!

The cold sensation of stone on her back caused Arfoire to curse, before Taven suddenly broke their lock and drew back with his sword. At the last possible second, Arfoire ducked and rolled to the side just as Alucard struck, the blade carving a deep gouge into the stone like a hot knife to butter. All he managed to strike was the hat on top of her head, and she narrowed her eyes as she watched the burnt and tattered article fall to the ground, but a small smirk found itself on her face as she watched Taven hunch over, coughing with a hand over his mouth.

Straightening, the woman glanced over to the fallen form of Vlad, who had yet to stir from his state of unconsciousness. (At least 'he's' out of the fight. He's a lot of trouble with his sword alone.)

Glancing again at Taven, she saw that he was once again focused on her, though he looked like he was put through the wringer. He was breathing haggardly, he had one of his eyes closed in pain, and fresh blood flowed from every orifice on his face. Even his facial veins were beginning to pop, becoming prominent against his pale skin, and his eyes had lost the red glow, though he maintained the violet aura.

(This boy is half dead on his feet. I'll be merciful and take him down now...I have no use for him.)

Seeing the woman suddenly grin, Taven growled and asked, "What the hell are you smiling about!?"

Arfoire chuckled, and with a voice full of confidence, she said, "I think its time I put you out of your misery. So, as a farewell gift, allow me to show you my full power."

Her form was suddenly enveloped in a blanket of light, with Taven being forced to cover his eyes as the cave was brightly illuminated. A few seconds passed, before the light died down, and Taven's eyes widened as he beheld the monstrous being before him.

Arfoire had transformed from a woman, into a purple, orange and red beast, with four legs and arms. The legs were connected to a mouth like object and on top of which lied a rabbit like figure. The upper body consisted of four orange bat-like wings, and a face that looked like an upside down controller of which the center was a red eye and an orange crown with a red circle surrounded by three blue circles. 

He'd never seen it personally, but in school, children were told all of the horror stories regarding what he was looking at now.

He was face to face with the damn Deity of Sin!

(That's impossible! The Goddesses killed it right!? How is it here!?)

With gritted teeth, he began to desperately pool his power into his sword, ignoring the agony his body was in as the flames began to turn violet in color.

Seeing this, Arfoire laughed and said, **"Foolish boy! You have nothing in your arsenal to defy me! Just accept your death!"**

"How many times do I got to say it?" Growled Taven, before he began to charge towards the monster before him. The grin on the monster's mouth seemed to grow as he raised his weapon and leapt for the rabbit part of the Deity of Sin.

**"Shut the hell up!" **He finished, swinging to decapitate the rabbit, only for his efforts to be thwarted when Arfoire simply swatted him to the side with one of her arms, sending him flying, then tumbling on the stone floor until his back slammed into a stone pillar.

Coughing up blood, Taven slowly forced himself to his feet, with Arfoire's laughter echoing throughout the cavern.

**"All of that bravado...and 'this' is all you can manage! You can barely stand as it is, and you intend to defeat a being as powerful as 'me'?"**

Ignoring her, Taven began to siphon more power to Alucard, the weapon vibrating in his hand as it began to overload.

**"Drive!"**

Swinging his blade, Taven sent wave after wave of violet energy hurdling towards the still laughing Deity of Sin, and she was actually startled as the attacks landed on her large frame. Screaming in pain, Arfoire stumbled back her arms flailing, and leaving her open as Taven leapt forward, and slashed the rabbit part of her body across her torso.

Taven grinned as a yowl of pain erupted from...one of her mouths. He didn't know which mouth she actually spoke out of, and he didn't care. He was about to shove his sword down all her throats.

That came out weird.

Meanwhile, off to the side, Vlad was finally coming to, and he had no way to prepare for the sight before him as he opened his eyes. In fact he wondered if he perhaps hit his head too hard.

He saw Taven, who looked close to collapsing with his aura surrounding him. Then, he saw some freak of nature, a huge beast, which was currently roaring in pain and shaking the cavern they were in with her flailing.

"How long was I out?" He wondered aloud, making his way to his feet as Taven charged Arfoire again. The smell of blood assaulted him, and his eyes widened as he recognized most of it as his brother's. This caused him to grit his teeth and reach for the pistols Taven had given him. Though they felt a little awkward in his hands, he began to power the shots as he pulled the trigger.

The demonically enhanced bullets managed to pierce the monster's skin, and caused Taven to look back in shock, which caused Vlad to freeze. Taven looked like hell! With narrowed eyes he yelled, "Taven, fall back and let me handle this!"

With Vlad making his appearance known, Arfoire growled and decided to finish Taven off before he and that sword became a problem for her.

Seeing Arfoire raised her hand towards him, Vlad growled and ran towards Taven, intent on protecting him, though with his speed, he would never reach him in t-!

"Look out below! Move out of the way!"

Looking up, Taven and Vlad were than a little shocked to see someone fucking falling towards him!

"The fu-!?"

So shocked was he, that Taven failed to dodge the falling person and became an impromptu landing pad as they fell on top of him, falling face first to the stone floor while the newest arrival landed on his back, creating a comical scene of him being splayed out, while Arfoire and Vlad left dumbstruck and found themselves of the same mind.

(Where did 'she' come from!?/**How did she 'fall' in here?**)

With a groan, Taven forced himself back on his feet, ignoring the protest of the girl who landed on top of him as she tumbled to the ground off of his back. He glanced over, and his eyes widened as he saw, "N-Neptune!? When did you-!? 'How' did you get here!?"

Before him stood Neptune! Except...she was taller? And more mature looking?

She had long lilac hair with bangs that reach down to her collar bone and purple eyes. In her hair she wore black hair-clips in the shape of D-pads and around her neck was a choker that had a light blue D-pad symbol on it. She wore a mostly black one-piece parka dress that had a purple hood, strings that look like controller plugs, and two huge black and purple pockets with blue circles on them. She also wore a black and purple gun holster on her left thigh that matched the rest of her outfit.

There was also the fact that she had a sizeable pair of-!

(For fuck's sake Taven! Ignore...the jiggle physics!)

The more mature looking Neptune looked at Taven, and with a quirked eyebrow asked, "Hey...do I know you?"

A silence fell over the area, until Taven said, "I...think? You're Neptune...right?"

"Oh, you already know my name? That's weird...I don't remember 'you'. By the way, why do you look like you were just chewed up?"

Vlad, too stunned to speak, looked back and forth between his brother and the new arrival, while Arfoire, tired of being ignored, chose to speak, and hopefully get this ball rolling again.

**"Hey."**

Not paying her any mind, Vlad, Taven, and the new Neptune began to speak amongst themselves, with Neptune quickly explaining that she was actually from a different dimension!

"So wait, you're 'not' the CPU Neptune...you're human?"

"Yep, the CPU of 'my' dimension goes by...Plu-something. I can't really remember right now."

**"Heyy..."**

"You can travel dimensions...how?" Asked Vlad, eyes brimming with hope.

Neptune nodded and procured a small purple notebook with an 'N' symbol decorating it, "Yep! With my trusty Nep-note, no dimension is beyond my reach!"

"Can you transport other people!?" Asked Taven, reaching the same conclusion as his brother. With this, they finally had a true way home!

His hope was dimmed when she chuckled sheepishly and said, "I could...but I'm missing something...or rather someone."

**"Hey!"** Arfoire was beginning to feel more than a little miffed that she was being ignored.

"Who is it that you are missing?" Asked Vlad.

"Well, I'm looking for my pal Croire. She actually has the power to open up rifts to other dimensions."

Taven growled, with IF flashing through his mind as he said, "Then lets kill this bitch, find your friend, and go home!"

**"Hey!" **This time Arfoire sounded offended. Did this brat kiss his mother with that mouth?

Tilting his head, Taven yelled, "You walk on four legs don't you? Which reminds me..."

Taven suddenly charged towards her, with Vlad cursing and yelling, "Taven wait!"

Next to him, Neptune suddenly procured a pair of swords, and with a grin on her face, she ran after Taven, leaving Vlad cursing their recklessness before he began laying down covering fire with the pistols, charging the shots with his demonic energy as Taven leapt towards her and yelled, "I promised to rip you limb from limb!"

Crossing her upper arms, Arfoire blocked most of the bullets, grunting at the piercing sensation of the bullets as they landed, only to cry out as Taven slashed at one of her large legs, using the momentum of his charge as he slashed her back leg, then leapt upwards, swinging his blade and giving the Deity a sizable gash on her lower arm.

Meanwhile, Neptune was running to and fro, slashing at Arfoire's exposed flanks and nimbly dodging any magical projectiles she fired. With a yelp, Neptune leapt back as Arfoire attempted to stomp her flat with her foot, though Taven managed to get Arfoire's attention back to him by leaping up, and fully impaling the rabbit part of her body with Alucard, and drawing a long cry of agony from the Deity of Sin.

Vlad sighed in relief, glad that they were managing the Deity of Sin so effective-!

The sickening crack of bone suddenly echoed, followed by Taven's body flying backwards!

"Taven!" Yelled Vlad, dashing towards his falling brother, but being unable to reach him before his body crashed into a stone pillar, and slumped towards the ground, unmoving. Meanwhile, Neptune was watching with wide eyes, having seen Arfoire's fists slam into Taven after he'd hit his mark, and with a rare glare, began to double the effort in her attacks, buying Vlad time to reach Taven's body.

Back with Taven, Vlad had reached his brother, who did not respond at all as he laid the boy on the ground. He checked his pulse, and felt his blood run cold.

Not even a small beat.

Desperate, he laid his ear against Taven's chest, and his eyes widened in horror at what he both saw and felt.

There was no heartbeat, and he wasn't breathing!

"No...no! No! No!" Yelled Vlad, shaking Taven in a panic.

"Taven! Taven! Don't do this to me! Don't you fucking dare!"

His yelling caused Neptune, and even Arfoire to pause in their fight, the former's gaze becoming more horrified as she realized the gravity of the situation.

With tears beginning to flow down his face, Vlad yelled, "Don't you die on me! Taven! Please!"

Arfoire broke out into laughter at the scene before her.

**"Good riddance! He was mere scum before me! All of that posturing, and all he managed to do was poke me with his little sword!"**

Vlad shot the Deity of Sin with his most murderous glare, a blue aura beginning to surround his form, and causing Neptune to freeze in fear as he held his brother's body.

(He was my brother! My little brother!)

Memories of their first meeting, and the battles they fought together flashed through his mind. He may not have known him for long, but Taven was his family, his blood!

He remembered Naomi. How she smiled and said that she wanted his permission to name her unborn child after his uncle. How he promised to protect them.

(In the end, I couldn't! First my mother! Then Naomi! And now...!)

His eyes began glowing red as he stared down at Taven's face, the boy's eyes closed in a bloody mockery of sleep.

Time seemed to stop, as he stared at the blood dripping to the stone floor. Blood...

His eyes widened as he stared down at his brother. and to the shock of everyone, he suddenly bent down, and drove his fangs into Taven's throat.

Neptune, and even Arfoire were taken aback, with Neptune yelling, "What the actual Nep!"

Vlad, ignoring them both, continued to suck on Taven's blood, and a few seconds later, he withdrew, a grim look on his face as he slashed his palm with one of his nails, before placing the wound over Taven's mouth.

A moment later, Vlad gently laid his brother down, and stood with his back to the two. In a low, dangerous tone, he said, "Arfoire...you...made a grave mistake."

Turning, Vlad revealed his glowing red eyes, he began to approach Arfoire, who actually flinched when he pointed towards her and said, "Neptune...stay out of this, and protect Taven."

Seeing no need to argue, Neptune was quick to get out of the way as Vlad and the Deity of Sin stood off, the air becoming electrified and tense as Vlad's killing intent continued to rise. The taste of his brother's blood fresh on his tongue, and further fueling his rage.

His eyes flicked Alucard, still impaled into Arfoire's body. Right then and there, he promised that he would split her from head to toe with his brother's sword.

With that oath in mind, Vlad bared his fangs, and he dashed forward towards Arfoire...intent on fulfilling it.


	15. Things To Come

Taven opened his eyes with a small gasp, before quickly sitting up and looking around, eyes wide and breathing heavily as he took in his...normal surroundings?

(What...the hell?)

He was no longer in the cave, and he found no sign of Arfoire, Neptune, or Vlad. No, he was actually in a nice, soft bed, in a rather large bedroom. Which lead to two questions. When, and how did he get here?

Looking around, he saw a nightstand by the bed, with a lamp and a small picture framed. Curious, Taven grabbed the picture and took a glance. Perhaps he could get a clue on-!?

The picture fell to the floor, glass shattering as it hit. In the quiet room, it may as well have been a grenade. Even so, a grenade might not have been enough to shake him out of the shock. His mind, and his heart was racing.

(What the actual fuck!? I blacked out in the cave, right!? Maybe this is just a really trippy dream!) It took him a moment to realize that footsteps were heading towards him, and Taven, thinking fast, set his face into a groggy expression, a neat trick he developed when he tried to convince his dad that he was sick and shouldn't go to school.

It never worked, but hey, it let him practice his poker face.

The person who stepped into the room, nearly caused him to crack, in more ways than one.

It was IF...except...older?

Her hair was longer, and she no longer wearing her trenchcoat. Instead, she was now wearing a blue business suit with a white blouse, and black khakis. To complete this look, she was also wearing a pair of small glasses. Upon seeing her, a flood of emotions welled up from within.

He was shocked, a little turned on, and happy beyond the bounds of Gamindustri! Her voice caused him to smile as she said, "I see that you're finally awake. I heard that this one was rather...stressful."

What did she mean by 'this one'? He was starting to realize that this would be tricky to pull off. However, luck seemed to be on his mind as she turned around and said, "I'll go and set the table. Would you mind taking care of the glass?" Not trusting his voice, he grunted in affirmation, and swung his legs out from beneath the bedsheets, watching as she entered the hallway. He honestly didn't want her to leave, but he needed more time to gather his thoughts.

Minding the glass, Taven stood up from the bed, and noticed that he was distinctly taller, almost a foot taller than he remembered. He was also wearing a black beaded necklace. Slowly, he bent down and began to pick up the glass shards, before picking up the picture and studying it intently. He was also more than aware of the gold band wrapped around the ring finger of his left hand.

It was a family photo, 'his' family photo.

He was married...to IF! Once again, a swell of confusion and happiness overtook him. Was he in the future? Was this a vision? A final gift to the departed, or a punishment to those who committed too many wrongs? Arfoire 'did' hit him pretty hard, and he wasn't in the best health even before the fight.

(That's weird, shouldn't your life flash before your eyes before you die?) It would seem the opposite applied to him, and he wasn't going to complain. It was a nice dream.

There was him, and IF, standing next to each other. IF was wearing her new outfit, with Taven wearing what could only be samurai armor, minus the left shoulder pauldron, beneath a black haori. His hair was longer now, and was tied back in a short ponytail. His sword was nowhere to be found, but that barely registered in his mind. He was more focused on the two children in the photo with them. Behind them, there appeared to be a festival, complete with food stands, games, and large rides in the back.

The first was a small girl, perhaps five years old, wearing a red kimono decorated with white butterfly designs. She had long white hair, with silver eyes and pale skin. Her ears were also tapered somewhat, resembling an elf's. She was smiling brightly at the camera, waving at the cameraman while hugging IF's leg. She must be his daughter.

The second child was a small boy, who had short brown hair, and very light green eyes, wearing a black kimono decorated with green leaf designs, and looking to be at least a year or two younger than the girl. He was far more timid, trying to hide behind Taven's leg, and peeking out from his hiding spot.

They had to be his son and daughter. What were their names? Quirking an eyebrow, he turned to picture around, and saw a small message penned on the back.

_Fang and Otoha's first festival. My little guy is still camera shy. Wish you two were here._

(Wish you two were here? I guess some people couldn't make it to the festival with us?)

Still, he smiled. From the look of things, he had a pretty happy family. Of course, his perverted side briefly poked through. He managed to hit that twice! And he couldn't even remember!

Then he took another look at the kids.

(Fang and Otoha, huh? Nice names.)

Reverently setting the picture onto the nightstand, he disposed of the glass, and slowly left...his bedroom.

From what he could see, they lived in a rather large house, and plenty of pictures lined the wall as he slowly walked around. The first picture showed him and his son, now looking around ten years old, at an arcade. Fang was aiming two gaming pistols at some sort of shooting game, trying to dual wield the pistols much like Taven did with his own guns.

Looks like he was teaching them young.

The next picture showed IF, Fang and Otoha, with the children wearing protective kendo gear, the two holding their own trophies. Otoha held the first place trophy, and Fang, looking embarrassed, but still managing a small smile, held a third place trophy. Huh...who held second place?

Meh...wasn't important. His kids were still badass.

A third picture confused him. It was Taven, reading a book of some sort, while his hand hovered over some sort of glyph. Hovering above the glyph, a violet, transparent crystal was floating. Taven himself saw that his eyes were glowing red, though it looked like he was suffering no real injury. Within the crystal, he saw a cane of some sort floating, the biggest detail he could make out being the red dragon scales that seemed to decorate the shaft beneath the black marble pommel.

He had to pause at the fourth picture. It was him and IF, younger, around their current age of sixteen. They were in front of a water fountain, and even Taven had to say he had to the biggest of shit eating grins on his face as he flipped the bird, where a decorative engagement ring could be seen. IF herself was simply smiling and held up her own ringed finger. Engraved on the bottom of the frame were the words...

_She beat me to it! But I said yes first!_

Huh...so IF proposed? He wished that he could remember. He wished that he could remember all of it.

His gaze then hardened, and he muttered, "I 'will' come back to you."

"From what I've seen, there's no reason to doubt that."

The new voice caused him to jump, and Taven whirled towards its source. He was not expecting to see another woman. She had long black hair, decorated with a flower accessory, with tan skin, with light freckles that dotted her cheeks and nose. Her eyes were a dull red, and she wore a set of miko robes. 

Around her, the air seemed to have become still, with Taven feeling the hair on the back of his neck standing as she approached him. This aura was offset by the kind smile she had on her face as she approached him, with Taven barely managing to even cough and take a step back, his hands twitching as he watched her tilt her head.

"Who are you?" He growled, the woman maintaining her smile as she said, "You even look like your father. He 'was' rather dashing when we first met, but I told him I liked my men to have beards."

"Answer the question lady! And how do you know my father!?"

Despite Taven's yelling, no one came running, confirming that time had frozen, and he could only look to the woman before him as the cause. What she said next caused 'him' to freeze.

"I'm your mother, obviously."

Taven felt his heart stop. 'She' was his mother? 'This' was Naomi? His father had described her enough times for Taven to connect the dots, but to actually meet his late mother...it opened up a whole new can of worms. Add that to the fact that he was currently in the future, in 'his' future body, he could only say one thing.

"Nani the fuck!?"

"Young man! There are children in this house!"

"I'm sorry, but what else am I supposed to say!?"

"A hug would be a good start." Said the woman with a sigh, while Taven growled as he ran his hands through his hair, feeling his ponytail for the first time. Why 'did' he grow it out? Should he go ahead and...

(Not the time, Taven! Focus!)

"Okay...backtrack. You're my mother...so that must mean I'm dead, because Arfoire got me pretty good with that last hit."

The woman gained a horrified look. "No! You can't die until you give me grandchildren!"

Taken aback, Taven took a glance down the hall, where he caught a glimpse of what looked to be a kitchen. IF was in there, setting the table for breakfast. Then he turned to the woman and said, "I don't know why, but I 'know' you aren't lying when you say you're my mom. Something also tells me that you know what's going on here."

Nodding, his mother...Naomi said, "Allow me to clear up some things. First, you are 'not' dead. Your spirit just...wandered into another realm while your body heals. Its something we Exorcists train to do our entire lives. A final failsafe so that demons can't consume and gain power from our souls."

Taven's eyes narrowed. "Exorcist. Arya mentioned that my 'Exorcist' powers were fucking me-'messing' me up!" He corrected mid-sentence due to the stern glare his mother shot him, but sighed as he finished. "So, what about 'you'? Vlad told me that you died the night of my birth. So how is your...spirit...'here'?"

Naomi seemed to gain a sheepish look as she said, "I feel embarrassed to say...but it was a complete accident. I never mastered the ability, but during my final moments, I accidently sent my soul flying out of my body, and into one of the pathways Sparda created during one of his attempts to seal Mundus with the Yamato."

"So...you accidently sent you soul into another dimension? Guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree." Said Taven with a small smirk. Naomi giggled and continued.

"I found myself in Gamindustri soon after, at a point in time where you return from the Zero Dimension."

"We finally get back!? How!?" The desperation in his voice shocked her, but she could only shake her head, causing Taven to grit his teeth in frustration.

"I wish I could tell you, but I didn't stick around long enough to find out. I continued to...'black out', as it were, waking up at different points of your life. This is the most recent jump, but it is so wonderful to see that you've settled down, with a wife and children no less."

Taven sighed, and looked back to the kitchen where IF was waiting. Following his gaze, Naomi smiled and said, "Don't worry, you'll soon be back in your own timeline. Unlike me, you actually have a body to return to. Until then..."

He began to notice that time was moving again, and Naomi was beginning to fade from his vision. He reached out to his mother, but his hand passed through her. "Mom!? What's going on!?"

"My power is fading. It looks like you are about to re-enter your body."

The world around him began to fade as well, with Taven partially lamenting how he would leave this blissful future behind. However, he was able to hear his mother speak, and what she said confused and worried him.

"Beware...the king...set sight on your realm. Look for...in...-station..."

Her words, and her form then disappeared, leaving him confused as to what she was trying to say. Hell, he was still wondering if he was just having a very fucked up dream.

Then his vision turned black, and his final thought was, (Of course! It 'has' to be cryptic! Can't ever be easy! What is this, a video game!?)

Taven felt an odd sense of deja vu as he opened his eyes. He was no longer in 'his' bed. No, this time, he was in a tent. He was also aware of a strange metallic taste in his mouth, and he groaned as he sat up. Slowly, he took a look around, and winced at the stiffness in his muscles. The worst was this itching sensation on his neck. "By the Goddesses...how long have I been asleep?" He muttered.

"A few days now."

Not expecting an answer, he jumped and turned his head towards the source of the voice. To his surprise, he saw Arya, now without her notebook, and instead, polishing what looked to be a cane, the very same cane he saw in his vision!

Well...there wet any doubts he had.

Arya, however, looked none too pleased, with Taven flinching at the stern glare she was levelling at him.

Sheepishly, he asked, "Umm, how long is a few days?"

"A week and a half."

Taven's eyes widened, and he moved to stand, until his body siezed up and he fell back on his makeshift bed. "The fuck!?"

"Your body is still recovering, Taven. Its a miracle you're still alive. I'm supposed to make sure you 'stay' and recover while Vlad and father are out searching."

"Searching? For what? What happened while I was out!?" He demanded.

Arya managed a small smile as she put down the cane and leaned forward. "Good thing you're laying down, cause this might take a while."

She wasn't kidding, and when she was finished explaining, Taven's head was spinning.

Apparently, after he essentially 'died'...Vlad practically tore Arfoire apart! Hell, he took Alucard, and dismembered the Deity of Sin down to her final two arms, with the older Neptune sealing what was left of her into her notebook. After that, it was a race to bring Taven back to the others. Hell, he nearly sliced her in half with the blade. During this fiasco, Uzume and Nepgear suddenly appeared, and though exhausted, they worked with Vlad to subdue the Deity of Sin, sealing her in the older Neptune's notebook, before rushing Taven to Uzume's 'true' secret base.

In a last ditch effort to keep him from truly dying, Vlad sucked his blood and fed him some of his own, attempting to turn him into a vampire. It worked to bring him back, but barely. His demonic blood was rejecting the vampiric effects of the bite, and if his body wasn't healed soon, he would truly die. Of course, with the stakes so high, Vlad and Neptune broke a few records by rushing towards Uzume's base. Thank the Goddesses, they made. Umio was already there with Mundez and Arya, having been told by Uzume to take them there.

Uzume, Neptune and Nepgear had gone into the city, and discovered a terminal that allowed communication to their own dimension! But unfortunately, after Nepgear had repaired the device, Arfoire had attacked with a small army of monsters. In the chaos, Neptune was sent back to their dimension alone, and the Terminal was destroyed during Uzume and Nepgear's retreat.

Hoping to catch them off guard, Arfoire tracked them, and set up an ambush in a cave system, an ambush Vlad and Taven accidently sprung by arriving at the cave first during their search for share crystals.

With Arya healing his broken body, and Vlad feeding him a small amount of his blood to maintain his essentially undead state, Taven was able to pull through, and his body fought off the effects of the vampiric bite with no ill effect.

Fast forward to the present, and he was reminded of the times he skipped school, because currently he felt more than a little out of the loop! Not to mention pissed!

Though not as pissed as his dad would be if he ever learned that Taven skipped school.

"So now we have no way home...again?" Muttered Taven. To his surprise, Arya kept up her smile as she said, "Not quite. Neptune's notebook can take us back, but there's a catch. We need to find her buddy Croire, a Tome like Planeptune's Oracle, Histoire."

The smile and hope in Taven's eyes almost made Arya not tell him how they were 'tracking' Croire...almost.

"So, are they tracking her with magic?"

"Sort of?" Said Arya sheepishly, causing his eyes to narrow. How can you 'sort of' track someone?

"Okay, so hear me out...Neptune...grabbed a stick..."

"Uh-huh?"

"Stood it up..."

"Okay?" Taven's eyebrow was quirked.

"Let it fall..."

"Alright?" Taven's confusion had yet to abate.

" And then...she and the others went in the direction the stick pointed."

Taven stared at her.

And stared...

And stared some more...

Before he took a deep breath and facepalmed, before letting loose a loud exasperated groan.

"You're fucking kidding..."

"Nope." Said Arya, popping the 'p'.

Another groan escaped the boy, but before he could further wonder about the antics of the goddesses, or why his brother had went along with it, he felt a small weight settle on his blanket.

Looking down, he was shocked.

There was Alucard...except, it was broken! Shattered and leaving the jagged edge of the blade which looked dull as the fires seemed to have died within the weapon.

With a sympathetic gaze, Arya said, "Vlad...really let loose on Arfoire. The blade shattered...I'm sorry."

Taven sighed and gently set the broken weapon aside. "Can I...have a moment?"

Arya nodded, and stood to leave. Pausing at the flap of the tent, Arya suddenly said, "They went Northeast, to some sort of facility. We'll be heading out soon."

"I thought you wanted me to stay here and heal." Said Taven, his sister turning back to him with a grin and saying, "As if you'll actually 'stay'. I've seen enough anime to know that you'll attempt to sneak out. Besides...I don't feel comfortable with father being out there. When you're ready...meet me out here...father left you a gift."

With that, Taven was left alone, staring down at his shattered sword.


	16. Mistakes Were Made

IF woke up feeling a very strange mixture of refreshed, and confused, and she couldn't decide which was the dominant feeling. The past few days, her mood had improved greatly. Neptune had returned! Somehow Histoire had managed to locate which dimension the two sisters had teleported themselves to! Unfortunately, circumstances lead to only Neptune being able to return, but the news she brought made IF's heart soar with relief and happiness. Taven was with them, which meant they could bring back everyone! So, despite the road bump, IF now knew it was only a matter of time before Taven returned!

In the meantime, IF had practically interrogated Neptune on how Taven was doing, and was shocked at what she learned. The man and woman who were teleported with Taven were actually his stepsiblings, and when she asked for more details, Neptune actually became serious, and said that she wasn't at liberty to tell her everything, it would be between her and Taven when he eventually returned.

Now, IF was currently sitting in her kitchen, pen in hand as she stared down at a journal.

Last night, she had a very interesting dream. She was in a rather nice house, far larger than her current home. The dream had started out with her waking up in bed, (which was weird in a dream...dreamception), but not alone. She was in bed with 'Taven'! He just came back from a month long contract, and IF had to stop herself from jumping him, relieved to see him safe, and unbearably horny after a month of no action.

They were both older, and to further add to her shock, they were married!? With kids!?

Their names were Fang and Otoha, and IF couldn't help but write those names down. Those were some good names if she ever 'did' have kids.

All of these shocked feelings came 'after' she woke up of course, but within the dream, she was going through the motions, living in this freakishly vivid dream for a full day. It was blissful in all honesty.

The day started with a family breakfast, with their two young children almost missing the school bus after they tried to eat all of the leftover pizza. Taven's children they may be...but four boxes in ten minutes was still a stretch, even for Taven.

Once the kids were out of the house, (here, IF couldn't fight the blush.), she and Taven practically flew to the bedroom, with Taven showing her just how much he missed her, and nearly breaking their bed.

Its still a bed if there's a mattress and a headboard...right? Bed frames weren't too important, and they could ignore the crack in the headboard...and the wall.

The rest of the day, Taven took her out to the city, and practically pampered her at every shop, continuing to make up for the month long absence. Of course, IF held no ill will, and was just glad Taven was back.

Later, the kids were back home, and the dream ended with the family lounging on the living room couch, watching T.V. until they all fell asleep together.

So now here IF was, sitting at her kitchen table, recording her dream in a journal with a pen. She was 'not' going to forget this dream. Hell, she decided then and there that she wouldn't let it 'remain' a dream once they got Taven back.

Once again, she blushed as she recalled their lovemaking in the dream. If she wanted it to be real...perhaps she should start saving up for a strong bed?

**Meanwhile**

"Arya..."

"Yeah?"

"How!?"

"Because I'm Arya...motherfucker."

Before the two siblings stood a heavily armored black motorcycle that looked to be created from demonic metals, with large spikes stick out from the side of the front tire, with wing designs on the side.

Turning to his sister, Taven tried to come up with words, with Arya grinning and saying, "I found an old bike a while back, and with a little elbow grease, I made this beauty."

"Define 'elbow grease'."

"I just summoned some demons, killed them, and used their blood and carcasses to fuse their essence to the bike using an elaborate blood ritual over the course of three days."

A long moment of silence passed, before Taven took a few 'large' steps away from Arya, causing her to quirk an eyebrow and ask, "Was it something I said?"

"How the fuck do you sleep at night?"

Arya grinned. "Like a damn baby...especially after three days of torturing demons to break their spirits...which is `very hard' mind you!"

Sighing, Taven fiddled with the hilt of Hellsing strapped to his back. Apparently, his father left Taven his own sword, which resembled a large Daikatana. Compared to Alucard, his father's sword was lighter, and admittedly, he might be able to use it better, considering it resembled a katana, the same sword he'd spent his childhood learning to wield.

Arya practically skipped to the motorcycle, sitting in the front and motioning for Taven to sit behind her.

"Hop on, brother."

"Why am I riding bitch?" Asked Taven, a tic mark forming on his head.

"Because its 'my' motorcycle."

"You don't even have helmets!"

With an incredulous stare, she pointed at her horns, causing Taven to facepalm. He couldn't really argue that. With a growl of annoyance, he reluctantly took a seat behind Arya, wrapping his arms around her waist, and prompting her to grin as she revved up the engine, the motorcycle roaring, literally, to life.

Taven nearly flew off with how fast the motorcycle went, as it went from zero to sixty almost instantly. Once he'd regained his bearings, Taven took a moment to watch the landscape become a blur as Arya picked up the speed. He could barely hear her when she began yelling.

"We'll catch up with them by nightfall! So make yourself comfortable!

"How are you tracking them!?" He yelled/asked.

"I drew tracking seals on everyone while you guys slept!"

The casual way she said that made Taven wish they weren't riding this demonic contraption, as it made it impossible for him to put some distance between them.

He was starting to realize that his family 'might' have a few screws loose.

Meanwhile, back at the camp, Umio was walking...swimming?...he was observing the state of the camp when a figure suddenly landed in front of him, shocking the poor man fish as he yelled, "Who are you?!"

The figure, who turned out to be a girl with long silver white hair, held up her hand as she said, "Umio, we don't have a lot of time, so I'm only going to say this once. Gather up everyone, and prepare them for evacuation."

With narrowed eyes, Umio asked again, "Who...are you?"

A small smile found its way to her lips, as she said, "The name's Otoha."

**Elsewhere**

"You don't seem too worried, considering you just lost a powerful partner." The speaker was a small young woman, sitting on the open pages of a book, and staring up at a large, giant of a being, who sat on a throne of sorts. The only real features she could make out, were the three, glowing red dots that seemed to act as eyes.

The speaker herself had lightly tanned skin and blue eyes and very light and messy chin length blonde hair, bordering white, all of this hiding a red and black ear piece. The book she sat upon was purple and pink themed, with sharp blue and purple wings. She seemed to exude an aura of mischief, as evidenced by an ever present smirk, and a somewhat jittery nature.

She wore a black dress with red and white designs on it and a big pink gem at the center. Connected to it were black chained pieces attached to the jacket worn below her shoulders, which also have white detailing and pink gems. Around her right arm was a deep red ribbon.

This was in fact Croire, a Tome, and the older Neptune's interdimensional traveling companion.

"Arfoire was nothing but a delusional witch. These mortals will soon learn who the 'true' Deity of Sin is. Her master is more than aware of who 'truly' holds power."

A groan of pain caused Croire to wince and turn towards the aforementioned 'master', a young woman who was chained to the foot of the giant's throne.

She was a practical clone of Uzume, save for some obvious differences. She had empty, dark blue eyes with a light red hue and long, dark blue hair, in contrast with Uzume's bright red hair and orange eyes. Her attire also had dark colors and covered more of her body, being black with accents of pale grey and indigo. She had a few bruises and scratches, and to her credit, she maintained a defiant look as she glared at Croire and the Giant.

To be fair, she wasn't so much a clone, she was just as much the original Uzume as her redhead counterpart, but for simplicity's sake, lets call her Kurome Ankokuboshi. Where Uzume's name meant the 'Light of Heaven', Kurome's meant the 'Darkness of Hell'. This wasn't some off the wall name either, as Kurome was a Dark Goddess, holding little more than hatred for the people of Gamindustri, and taking more than her fair share of pleasure in the despair that flooded this realm.

Seeing this, Croire felt a rare emotion. Regret.

She could admit, she 'probably' took some of her efforts to make 'interesting' history too far...but this...she 'definitely' crossed a line...or a thousand.

Croire had felt a malevolent energy reaching out to her, becoming more persistent after she sensed the presence the 'demon family' Neptune had run into. Putting two and two together, Croire decided to take a quick trip to the energy's origin, and unsealed the being from some island called Mallet... or something, before transporting it to this dimension.

She thought she was going to see a good old demonic grudge match! It would be so fricking cool to watch!

She 'wasn't' expecting that she would be summoning the actual fricking Demon King!

His name was Mundo-something, and mere minutes after being summoned, he subdued Kurome, who'd been Croire's partner in crime in this venture, stealing her power, and making her his prisoner. As one can imagine, the Dark Goddess was none too pleased at this development, but against someone who was practically Satan...she didn't have much leverage.

He then proceeded to sacrifice all the nearby monsters, using their life force, and Kurome's stolen power to practically 'forge' a servant. Croire wished that she could go back in time and stop herself from freeing this monster, but she was without her powers, as Mundus had stolen 'her' powers as well, to prevent her from thwarting his plans.

He called it 'mercy', as he simply used her power to bring this new servant to life, instead of Kurome's actual body.

The only reason Croire herself wasn't restrained was because Mundus was 'grateful' for her act of freeing him, and allowed her to roam the facility, which was chillingly silent without the monsters roaming around...save for the new servant Mundus had created.

Back in the present, Croire found herself shivering as Mundus chuckled to himself, the deep sound reverberating throughout the chamber they were in. That laughter told her that the demon king was imagining some form of torture or punishment.

(I should have stuck with Neptune. As annoying as she can be, she at least kept things lively. This guy gives off the 'worst' kinds of vibes!)

She flinched when Mundus suddenly straightened, and with an evil chuckle he said, "At last...it begins."

Croire gritted her, silently hoping that her little failsafe worked correctly. A troublemaker she may be...but she still had a conscience damnit!

Kurome, meanwhile, watched as the demon king began to laugh. She would be damned if she didn't get her revenge against this bastard!

**Outside**

At the entrance of the facility, Vlad and Mundez froze, feeling an all too familiar wave of dread wash over them. Behind them, Uzume, Nepgear, and the older Neptune stopped walking, watching as father and son shared a brief glance.

Before Vlad could speak, Mundez held up a hand and said, "No...we can do this. I will 'not' turn my tail and run."

Vlad looked like he wanted to argue, but his father set him with a stern gaze, and like any child who wished to not argue with their parent, he kept his mouth shut, though the grip on his katana tightened.

He had a bad feeling about this.

The sky above began to grow darker, with the distant rumble of thunder becoming apparent.

**Meanwhile**

A small distance away, a figure was watching the clouds forming overhead, a brief flash of lightning illuminated their face, revealing stern, pale green eyes beneath a black hood. In his hand, he held a familiar katana.

A voice behind him asked, "Are you sure about this? She'll be devestated when she finds out."

"By the time she learns what happened, she'll be in a timeline with her family."

"You...dumbass! 'You' are her family! Even if...!"

The hooded figure turned back to his companion, a smile on his face as he said, "You don't find this to be 'exciting'? I thought you of all people would be down for this brand of crazy."

"How can I? After everything we've seen?"

"Hmm...I guess you're right. Just be ready...we only have one shot."

Without another word, he pulled back his hood, revealing dark brown hair as he said, "It was a hell of a ride...Croire."

He suddenly disappeared in a blue flicker, leaving the now name Croire, who was now as tall as a regular human, to grit her teeth as a tear slid down her face.

"Damnit Fang...why did I have to fall for such an idiot?"

She then glared down at the facility below, and with a small curse she began to follow him.


	17. Rising Fear

Vlad felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as they entered the empty facility. He was expecting monsters...some sort of resistance. After all, he felt 'his' presence, that unmistakable malice that belonged to the demon king. However, there was nothing. No demonic minions, no monsters...just cold silence.

It wasn't too much of a stretch to assume that Mundus was present here. Neptune had told them that Croire was more than capable of opening rifts to other dimensions, and what made that troubling was that Croire was said to have a habit of trying to make history 'interesting'.

Of course, Vlad felt the fires of vengeance grow stronger within as he thought of Mundus being here, but stronger still, was the fear.

He was scared, but not for himself.

No, he was scared that he would lose his family again. He wasn't strong enough to protect his mother, or his clan.

He failed to protect his father from being stabbed by Arfoire.

He even failed to protect his own brother. The absolute horror of that moment was still fresh in his mind. The moment his brother actually died in his arms. He wasn't religious, but when he managed to bring Taven back, he found himself incredibly thankful to whatever power there was.

Still, the fear was there. Compared to Mundus, Arfoire was of little consequence, but she still managed to almost kill Taven. Could he even protect anyone from the demon king if Arfoire was able to take them away?

Mundez saw his son looking around for danger as they traversed the facility, but he knew that the hybrid's mind was not on searching for Croire. Briefly the man glanced back at Neptune, seeing the top of her notebook peeking out of her jacket pocket.

When Neptune had captured Arfoire in her Nep-note, Vlad had nearly turned his fury upon her, and she still glanced nervously at Vlad when she recalled the memory.

**Flashback**

_Arfoire screamed as her second arm was lopped off of her body, with Vlad barely sparing her a second glance as he landed behind her. Alucard was shattered in his hand, but Vlad didn't seem to mind, as he swatted aside a retaliatory fireball from the Deity of Sin and began to approach her. The aura surrounding him seemed to glow brighter with his eyes being more than pronounced due to the light. With blood pooling beneath her, the Deity actually collapsed, and with a bright flash of light, reverted back to her human form._

_She looked like she was just put through a grinder. Her clothes were torn, and barely covered her modesty, revealing grievous wounds on what flesh was shown. Her earlier attitude was replaced with pure terror as she beheld the enraged being before her, with Vlad glaring down, and his aura illuminating the cavern they fought in._

_"This is for my brother you bitch!" Said Vlad, raising the shattered blade and ready to pierce this vile wench through her heart!_

_She held up her hand, and with a fearful cry yelled, "No! Please don't!"_

_However, Arfoire was suddenly pulled away from him, and Vlad watched with wide eyes as the she was magically pulled 'into' Neptune's notebook, the girl smirking as the Deity of Sin's cries were silenced by her snapping her book shut._

_Neptune 'wasn't' expecting Vlad to suddenly appear before her, the aura disappearing from his body and only glowing in his eyes, giving him a wrathful look as he yelled, "Bring that witch out here! I'm not done with her yet!"_

_When she hesitated, Vlad's grip on Alucard tightened, and he growled, "Neptune, bring...her...out!"_

_She nervously chuckled and said, "She...could prove useful later. Besides, isn't it more important that we get Taven somewhere safe?"_

_As if that was his cue, Taven suddenly growled from where he lay, which had the instant effect of snapping Vlad out of his rage and rush over to his brother, allowing Neptune to sigh in relief before she too turned to help._

**Flashback End**

She was more than a little sure that Vlad might have actually attacked her to get to Arfoire. However, she couldn't fault him. Her short time with Nepgear gave her an idea of what it was like to have a younger sibling, and she didn't want to imagine her in danger. Taven practically died in Vlad's arms, and she doubted he was in the most stable state of mind when she captured Arfoire.

Speaking of Arfoire, the woman had not made a peep since her absorption within the Nep-note, and she caught Vlad glaring at it whenever they spoke. In fact, she could swear that the thing was shaking whenever the half demon was near her. It almost made Neptune sorry for her...almost. Nearly killing Taven made it pretty hard for Neptune to feel sympathy. Also, the expressions of horror on her new friend's faces upon seeing Taven...briefly made her want to release Arfoire to their mercy.

For a moment, the silence continued, until Vlad suddenly unsheathed his sword and began scanning the area with narrowed eyes.

"No point in hiding! Come out! I can sense your presence!" Behind him, the others had their weapons at the ready, with Vlad standing protectively in front of his father. For a moment, things were silent, until a new voice said, "I'm coming out! Don't worry!"

From the other end of the hallway, two figures emerged, male and female. The female caused Neptune's eyes to widen as she yelled, "Croire! When...when did you get a growth spurt?"

Indeed, the supposed Tome was not a miniature human, instead, she was about the height of the male standing next to her. Also, she seemed...hesitant, the opposite of her usual brash behavior. Upon hearing that it was Croire standing before them, Vlad looked to his father, who mirrored his shocked expression. Was it really going to be that simple?

The group approached the two, with Neptune instantly standing before Croire and chattering incessantly about how Croire was '"So big now!"' as well as lamenting the fact that many of her nicknames no longer applied to the Tome. Vlad, Mundez, and the boy stared each other down, before slowly, he sheathed his sword and said, "If she is Croire...then who are you, boy?"

The 'boy' narrowed his eyes, a tic mark appearing on his head as he pointed to the hilt of his sword and yelled, "I know how to use this old man!" Vlad ignored his outburst and continued to study him, eyes narrowing as he sensed something...familiar about him.

He looked to be around Taven's age, perhaps a year older, with lightly tanned skin, messy brown hair that reached the back of his neck. He was clearly a fan of the color black, as he was wearing a black cloak over a black, short sleeved hoodie with red trims, a black undershirt, with grey cargo pants and black boots. He also wore two earrings on his left ear, though they looked a little strange to Vlad for some reason. There were also the prominent scars on the left side of his jaw, two jagged lines that most likely came from a clawed beast of some sort. His eyes were also a pale green in color, having a rather piercing gaze despite the childish outburst.

Then his gaze moved to the boy's sword, and his breath hitched. In the boy's hand was an exact replica of Vlad's own katana! No, not a replica...he could feel the power emanating from the weapon, and it was exactly like 'his' sword!

Mundez also noticed the weapons, and in a serious tone asked, "Who are you? Do not try to lie, or else your head will be rolling on this floor."

That statement killed the calm atmosphere, with Croire staring wide eyed in horror, while the boy merely shrugged off his cloak, causing Vlad to notice the necklace he wore around his neck, an all too familiar pendant serving as the centerpiece. Seeing the very necklace that sent them here, Vlad was more than ready to attack, when the boy suddenly spoke.

"Alright, no beating around the bush then. My name...is Fang. Sergeant First Class in the Lowee Special Defense Force. S-ranked Hunter. Most importantly, I am the son of Taven, and IF, which makes me 'your' nephew..." He pointed at the stunned Vlad. "...and 'your' grandson." He then pointed at Mundez, who's shocked gaze matched the expression of his son at this bombshell.

The rest of the group was in a similar state, Uzume's jaw nearly hitting the ground, while Nepgear held in a surprised squeal by holding her hands over her mouth. Neptune, however, merely studied Fang with a scrutinizing stare, while Croire looked back and forth between Fang and the two men before him. Feeling the need to strengthen his case, she said, "Its all true. We're from the future...and we're here to help."

A moment of silence passed, before Mundez crossed his arms and said, "Vlad, they're telling the truth. His scent alone vouches for him, not to mention...there 'is' some resemblance between Taven and this IF girl. Then, we have to consider that he's holding 'your' blade."

This caused Fang to tilt his head in confusion. "Wait, you actually met my mom? 'That's' new."

Mundez shook his head and held up his cracked phone. "Your mother ran the social media side of your father's monster hunting business. I saw her photos there, and you have her eyes."

"Ohhh...that makes sense. For a moment I thought something weird had happened."

Uzume quirked an eyebrow at that. "How's it weird, if Tavy is dating someone, it would make sense right?" Hearing the nickname for Taven, Fang snickered, before composing himself.

"I thought it was weird because they haven't actually 'started' dating yet...not to mention...grandpa dies here."

'That' bit of news caused the temperature to drop swiftly, with Vlad shaking as he voiced everyone's thoughts. "What do you mean? You're saying my father will die here? To Mundus?"

The boy's eyes narrowed, as he shook his head and said, "No...not to Mundus."

Suddenly they heard the distorted whining of a horse echo throughout the hallways, followed by the clopping of what sounded like some large hooves. As one, everyone readied their weapons and glared down the hallway as the horses whinnies became louder, as well as its footsteps. Standing side by side, both Fang and Vlad appeared to be mirror images of each other, bending slightly and gripping the hilt of their katanas.

"Shit, he's already here. Croire, stay back...and under 'no' circumstance get involved. We can't waste an 'ounce' of your power." This confused the others briefly, with Croire reluctantly nodding and setting up at the rear of their formation. To Neptune it was a great shock. To see Croire so easily take orders, as well as being scared. Croire could get nervous...but scared? It was actually unnerving to Neptune, and she found herself noticing something else.

(Croire is 'really' focusing on Fang...and what happened to 'me' in the future. Shouldn't 'I' be here as well?)

**Meanwhile**

"Can this thing go any faster!?" Yelled Taven, glaring at the road ahead. Arya slightly turned her head, confused at his sudden want to go faster. "I thought you hated it when I hit the throttle!"

"Well fuck that! Something's happening! And we need to get there as soon as possible, so go!"

Grinning, Arya felt the wind slightly cut into her as her demonic motorcycle went full speed ahead. 


	18. Honorable Rider

"I'm guessing that...this is what kills me?" Asked Mundez, watching as a shadow began to emerge from the hallway ahead. Vlad's eyes narrowed, while Fang said, "Not if I have anything to say about it. You guys 'are' going home, tonight. I swear on my life."

Only Neptune saw Croire flinch slightly at that declaration, but had little time to ponder her strange behavior before a figure emerged from the side hallway, and everyone tensed at the imposing sight before them, while both Mundez and Vlad muttered, "Geryon!"

The horse was large, like, 'really' large. The demonic steed was a dark black hue, with a mane and tail made up of violent blue flames. It's hooves, mouth and eyes were also surrounded by an aura of blue flames, giving the horse a grim and foreboding presence.

The horse's rider was no laughing matter either, resembling a demonic knight. He was a tall imposing figure, clad in full black armor with yellow outlines. Behind his body and on top of his head there appeared to be a pair bat wings, with his helmet having four spikes that curled to the side, with glowing yellow eyes glaring daggers at the group before him. He wielded a large yellow sword in his left hand and a large black metal shield with gray outlines in his right. 

To the surprise of everyone, the knight suddenly gestured with his head for the others to follow him, and turned his steed around before walking back the way he came. Once he was out of sight, Fang straightened and he said, "Let's go, he's taking us somewhere we can fight."

"Why would we actually follow him?" Muttered Vlad, with Fang pointing a thumb at the wall next to him. "We can't exactly fight a giant demon horse in this hall. We should fight him in an open area..."

"Where he can trample us!" Yelled Vlad.

"Where we can 'surround' him! We have the advantage of numbers." Argued Fang, with Mundez coughing to stop their bickering before it got out of hand.

"That horse...is capable of bending time and space, I hardly think that our surrounding him will do much good. Not to mention its rider."

With a frustrated sigh, Fang muttered, "Well, he isn't going to just let us go."

Uzume chose to cut in at this moment. "Look, that bastard isn't just going to wait on us. One way or another, we 'have' to get through him if we want to find Neptune's Croire."

Vlad cursed, before he began to walk down the hall. One by one, the others began to follow him, with Mundez sending a nod in Fang's direction. As he watched them go, Fang sighed and said, "Damnit, so this is what they call a heartwarming family reunion, huh?"

He was brought of his musings when Croire walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You can't tell me that you expected no issue when you decided to do this." Fang sighed again, though this time he had a small smirk on his face as he said, "Yeah...crazy shit like this seems to run in the family. Its like a tradition or something."

Behind them, Nepgear and Neptune watched their interaction with keen interest, a thousand questions running through their heads, but unfortunately, now was not the time.

A few minutes passed as the group followed the sounds of the horse's neighing and the clopping of its hooves throughout the facility, with Fang and Vlad taking point, and Croire staying in the back with Nepgear and Neptune.

Every so often, Vlad would glance over at his...nephew...and felt strange. He never met this boy, and he just appeared out of nowhere. His jacket 'did' have Lowee's insignia on the back, and his right shoulder bore the mark of their military rank of Sergeant First Class. Also, he had Taven's scent, and his aura was similar to his brother. If anything, Fang's existence should have reassured him, as it meant Taven would live on to have a family.

(Too bad I threw away my own chance at such a life...in my tireless pursuit of revenge.) Vlad briefly recalled the woman he'd grown fond of back in 'their' dimension. She was a fiery woman, and he could see himself actually marrying her. But he cut off all contact with her when he caught wind of his father's presence, seeing a chance to return to the Underworld and exact 'justice' against Mundus.

He didn't even have the decency to say goodbye.

Spending so much time here, with Taven, with his father, Neptune, Nepgear, and Uzume...he wondered why he was so willing to throw it all away, to undo everything that his father had sacrificed to lock away the demon king. Naomi died to seal that bastard away, Taven lost his mother, and Mundez lost the first person to acknowledge him as his own person, instead of comparing him to his brother, Sparda.

Now, he just wanted to go back to Gamindustri, and correct his mistakes. He remembered the jealousy that burned within as he witnessed his brother's growth in power, and his failure in seeing the harm it did. Ever since Arfoire had been sealed, the dark thoughts that once plagued him ceased, and he was able to think more clearly.

The group halted when they reached an open area, where the mounted knight waited in the center, his horse stomping the floor with one hoof. With a growl, the knight flourished his blade, and the horse began trotting towards them, causing the group to tense.

"Here he comes!" Yelled Fang, ready to charge in! Before they could do anything however, the sudden sound of broken glass caused everyone to freeze, and their eyes to widen as they looked up towards the source.

Of all the things they expected to be falling through a window, they were 'not' expecting to see a damn 'motorcycle' of all things! Arya could be seen riding the demonic contraption, with Taven leaping off from the back, and roaring as he fell towards the demonic knight, Hellsing poised to strike! Arya hit the ground, her motorcycle easily creating skid marks on the floor while she stopped in front of a shocked Fang.

At the same time, the knight's blade met Taven's attack, a loud clang of steel echoing throughout the area, before Taven was sent flying back as the knight pushed him away. The half demon easily righted himself in midair and landed on his feet, before assuming a ready stance with Hellsing.

The knight turned to Taven, and before anyone could do anything, swung his sword towards Taven, sending a bolt of yellow lightning towards the half demon. To the surprise of everyone, including the knight, the attack was easily dodged, and he charged towards the mounted enemy with a yell, his body becoming a blur, and shocking everyone at his speed.

Three loud clangs sounded as the knight began to attack, with Taven deflecting each strike and leaping high above the knight's head! With a yell, he swung his sword, and everyone watched as one of the wings behind the knight's helmet flew off, black blood spraying as Taven landed in front of the group flicking the blood off his sword before grinning and saying, "Damn I feel 'great'! C'mon Ponyboy! Lets do this!"

At his taunting, the knight howled, his voice distorted behind his helmet, before he kicked his horse's side, and the steed reared up on its hind legs, neighing loudly.

As soon as the front hooves touched the ground, the beast began charging forward, and everyone scattered, with Fang and Taven both leaping to the right, while everyone else ran to the left, intent on flanking the demonic horse. Arya leapt up off her bike just before the horse hit her. Her motorcycle however, was sent flying, flipping in midair before crashing against the wall, creating a small crater, and causing Arya to curse loudly.

"You bastard! I 'just' put her together! It was her maiden ride!"

"Good riddance." Muttered Taven, feeling a sense of cathartic joy at seeing that 'contraption' bite the dust. Then, he looked over, and his eyes widened upon seeing..."Am I tripping!?"

Fang chuckled nervously and gave a small wave to Taven, before saying, "Uhh...hi Dad."

"Fang!?" Yelled Taven in shock.

"Oh good, you know my name! That'll save us some time."

"Can you two save it for later!? We have more pressing issues!" Yelled Vlad, rolling to avoid another charge from Geryon, before unsheathing his sword and slashing at the horse's side. Unfortunately, the katana was knocked aside by the knight's sword, with Vlad skidding backwards from the force. Neptune and Uzume were rushing forward to help, with Uzume leaping into the air and yelling into her megaphone.

The soundwaves rolled over the rider and his mount, with the horse rearing onto its hid legs, and leaving itself open to Nepgear slashing at its exposed stomach. To her shock, the blade barely pierced its hide, and she only managed a small scratch. "What the hell is it made of!?" yelled Uzume in shock, before the horse kicked out with its hind legs, striking her in the chest and sending her flying into the far wall.

Mundez and Arya then appeared, with Mundez slashing at the horse's legs, and nimbly dodging its attempts to crush him beneath its hooves, and Arya leaping towards the knight and aiming to pierce him through the throat with her cane. Her efforts were met with a bash of the knight's shield, sending her sprawling to the ground, before he swung his giant sword towards Mundez.

The former demon managed to block the worst of it, but his shoulder received a deep gash as the force of the blow sent the man tumbling backwards. Seeing this, Vlad's eyes flashed blue as he yelled, "Stay away from him!"

As he dashed towards the knight, Croire and Neptune were already by Mundez's side, with the man groaning as Croire looked over the wound. "Are you alright?" Asked Neptune, already fishing a for a can of Nep-Bull. The man only nodded and said, "I believe this a moment you humans would say...I'm getting too old for this shit!"

By now, Fang and Taven had rejoined the battle, with the latter meeting the knight head on, their blades meeting with a loud clang as they deadlocked. Meanwhile Fang was going for Geryon's head, leaping towards the horse's exposed neck, a hand on the hilt of his blade.

Pushing Taven off, the knight made to swing for Fang's exposed flank, with Taven's eyes widening in horror as he watched! "Fang! Behind you!"

The boy's eyes glowed, before a green glyph appeared at his side and intercepted the attack before it could hit him. However, he was forced to fall back as the glyph then disappeared, though both Mundez and Vlad noticed that the boy's katana was actually being sheathed.

What happened next shocked everyone.

**"Judgement Cut!" **

The space around the knight and his steed suddenly became distorted, before multiple blue swathes of energy began warping around the demons, accompanied by the sound of space warping in on itself. When the attack was finished, everyone saw deep gashes covering both rider and steed, with Geryon swaying , and the knight dropping his shield, the impact creating a loud 'gong' as it hit the floor. The loud sound broke everyone out of their daze, with Taven grinning and saying, "Let's finish him!"

Vlad grit his teeth, and both he and Taven disappeared in a blur as they rushed the mounted demon from either side. However...

**"Raaaargh!"**

A monstrous yell erupted from Geryon as it suddenly slammed its front hooves down on the floor, sending two seperate masses of energy to both brothers, and the moment they made contact with the brothers, everyone was shocked to see time itself slow to a crawl around the two!

"What the hell!?" Yelled Uzume. She didn't see 'that' coming! Fang on the other hand, cursed and dashed forward just as the knight spurred his steed towards the frozen form of Taven.

"Oh no you don't!" Yelled Fang, intercepting what would have been a bisecting blow just as the aura faded away from the two brothers. Taven and Vlad, disoriented by the strange magic, sprawled face first on the ground, with Vlad recovering first and saying, "Accursed steed of the damned!"

"Don't go all fancy talk on us..." Groaned Taven as he got up, only to be knocked down as Fang was sent flying into him. With another neigh/roar, Geryon bounded forward, suddenly disappearing into a portal conjured before it!

"It doing that teleporting thing!" Yelled Neptune, just as a portal appeared above her! Seeing this, Croire's eyes widened, and she leapt forward just in time to push her out of the way. Geryon and its rider came crashing down from above, cratering the ground upon impact and sending out a small shockwave of blue flames. Dazed, the older Neptune turned to Croire with a grin, and said, "Wow, the future must be crazy if 'you' actually saved me!"

What Croire said next caused the smile to drop.

"I've lost too many people, and I can barely stand to lose one more."

Meanwhile, Taven was cursing his luck as he leapt to avoid another ball of time warping energy, only to be knocked hard to the ground as Geryon barreled into him from a portal conjured behind him. Rolling, he barely avoided being trampled upon before reaching out with his hand and grabbing ahold of the demonic horse's tail, being dragged along into another portal as it tried and failed to run Nepgear over.

Seeing he had an unwanted passenger, the knight turned, and swung for Taven just as he climbed up to the saddle. Briefly the others watched a sword fight occurring atop the horse as it continued its rampage.

Parrying the large sword, Taven felt a familiar bloodlust well up as he continued to clash against the knight. It was like the time he killed the Ancient Dragon...no...it was more raw! Where before his Exorcist powers 'diluted' his instincts, this time, it wasn't held back!

He didn't hear his voice distorting, or see the red glow in his eyes, but he 'felt' the power, and he roared as he riposted a thrust from the knight's blade and swung with all his might for the knight's head! At the same time, the knight's weapon became covered in yellow lightning, and he too swung for Taven.

They emerged from another portal just as their weapons clashed, with Hellsing giving off a distinct ring, as the knight's sword shattered, and the blade proceeded to split open the knight's chest plate. Black blood splattered the floor beneath them, and covered Taven before he drew his arm back, ready to stab his foe through the heart and end this.

Geryon chose to buck at that moment, throwing Taven off balance and leaving him open to a back hand from the wounded knight, the force of the blow sending him flying back, then to the floor while Geryon slowed to a trot.

Everyone had regrouped by now, with Fang helping Taven to his feet. They watched as the knight sat hunched over atop his saddle, clutching at his chest and groaning as blood continued to flow from the wound. Geryon was sporting its own wounds, with multiple bloody gashes along its legs and side. The demonic horse was also breathing heavily, with small spouts of blue flame escaping from its maw at each breath.

However, their own group was not unscathed. Uzume had a cut above her eye, with the blood leaking down her face. Neptune's arms were shaking due to her clashes with the knight's sword, and she could practically hear her shoulders crying out in pain as she held herself at the ready. Nepgear was holding her side with a grimace, a bruised rib at most. Vlad's right side was covered in blood, the source being a large cut on his right shoulder that had already healed. Mundez was breathing heavily while resting on one knee, and using his sword as a crutch.

Croire and Arya were already working to heal the worst injuries, with Fang and Vlad standing between them and the wounded demon knight.

Upon seeing his eyes, Neptune asked, "Taven, did you put contacts on during your ride?"

Vlad, who stood protectively in front of everyone, turned to look at his brother, and was shocked to see that his little brothers eyes were a stark red in color, with a light glow that was slowly dying as he got his breathing under control. Next to Vlad, Fang said, "Guys..."

The Knight straightened, his gaze focused on Taven, and causing everyone to tense as they waited to see what would happen next.

To the shock of everyone, he actually dismounted from Geryon, a large thud accompanying his feet's impact with the ground. Geryon looked over to its rider, the knight reaching a hand towards the steed's head and running his hand through its fiery mane. This strange behavior caused everyone to become confused, with Taven narrowing his eyes as the horse conjured a portal behind itself, before turning and slowly walking through, without its rider.

"What...the hell?" Muttered Fang, eyes widening when the knight went over to his shield and picked it back up off the ground. Taven watched as the knight then turned to them, and pointed his sword towards their group, or rather...him.

Growling, Vlad began to step forward, until Mundez grabbed ahold of him and said, "No...it is not 'you' he wishes to fight."

That's when Taven stepped forward, with Hellsing held out at his side. Seeing this, Vlad wanted to protest, but Fang cut him off. "That guy is on his last legs, let him die with dignity." This caused everyone to look at him, confused. "You wish to offer such respect to a demon?" Asked Mundez, curious why his grandson was so courteous to his enemy.

"There 'are' good demons...just like you, old man. Not all of them saw humans as lesser beings. Dad made sure I learned that before..." Fang went silent after that, and Vlad saw pain flash in his eyes, before he recomposed himself and gestured for the others to watch.

At that moment, Taven bounded forward, eyes glowing red as the knight braced behind his shield, electricity dancing along his sword.


	19. What Happens Next

IF has seen many things. Both as a member of the Guild, and more as a friend of the Goddesses. She has seen monsters, dancing monsters, and even survived being in the presence of Iris Heart. But this...this took the damn cake! The inside of the Basilicom was crowded, but not by people.

NOPE!

It was crowded by monsters! Now normally, this would be a major...major!...cause of panic. But Histoire had acted the moment a portal opened on the main floor. IF had seen the monsters pouring out, and as a reflex, she ran forward to eradicate the lot of them, only to be stopped by a girl, a 'very familiar' girl. Of course, IF had attempted to get past the girl and attack the horde of monsters flooding in, but froze in her tracks when the girl had yelled...

"Mom! Please calm down!"

Frozen in her tracks, IF was able to get a good look at the girl, and what she saw caused her eyes to bug out. It was...Otoha. The girl from her dreams...her daughter!

Now, in the present moment, IF was watching as bewildered guards sorted the monsters out, while the rest of the staff rushed to serve food and drink to the slightly panicked creatures. Next to her stood...or rather...'swam' Umio, a fish-human hybrid who was in charge of this situation, and beside him stood Otoha. Thankfully, Neptune was able to sort out most of the confusion by confirming that these were indeed the monsters who resided in the Zero Dimension.

As the mess below was tended too, IF took a glance towards her...future daughter? Did it still count if she was here now? Otoha was no longer a little girl, nope...she appeared to be the same age as IF.

She had long grey hair, pale skin, and silver eyes. Her ears were tapered like a fantasy elf, which raised a few questions in IF's mind. She wore a dark red jacket with blue trims over a white t-shirt that stopped just above her bellybutton, with a blue strap going over her chest and causing it to hug her figure. IF was ashamed to admit that she was jealous that her daughter also had a healthy...bust size, something she herself was lacking. She wore an equally red skirt over a pair of black spandex shorts, as well as light blue sneakers. On the right side of her hip was her weapon, a kusarigama, with a pink blade and weight, and a long white rope. 

In front of the three, Histoire was floating upon her book, ready to question them. Neptune was down below, catching up with some of the monsters, and getting information. Unfortunately, the portal that had taken them here had closed as soon as Otoha stepped through, with the girl explaining that she couldn't make another one to retrieve the others.

For IF, it was another blow. To have been so close...again, then having the opportunity disappear...it was getting harder for IF to keep hoping.

Her mind was pulled out of her musings when Histoire frankly asked, "So you are from the future, Miss Otoha?"

The girl nodded and crossed her arms as she said, "Yeah. My brother and I...the future we come from...its not good...and we're trying to prevent it from happening in the first place. I did my part, so all that's left is for Taven to do his."

"Would you care to elaborate?" Asked Histoire with narrowed eyes. A future so bleak that 'time travel' was used as a solution...she needed to know what happened. Of course, the serious air was broken momentarily when a voice asked, "Yeah, was there an uprising of Nepgeardams!? Are they about to send a robot back in time to take out the leader of the Resistance!?"

In came Neptune, eyes bugging out at the horrible implications swirling about in her head. Histoire and IF sighed, while Umio chuckled at Neptune's antics. He found it comforting that she was able to break the melancholy when needed. Otoha chuckled nervously, and with a sweatdrop said, "No Aunty...it isn't like Nepinator."

At this, Neptune gasped. "Aunty!? I'm your 'Aunt' in the future!? Wait, does that mean Nepgear is about to-!"

"No! No! Its more of a title. We considered you to be practically family!" Explained Otoha, with IF grinning at the panicked look that Neptune had for a moment. With that cleared up Umio asked, "Please, Ms. Otoha...explain what's going on." With everyone focusing on her, Otoha, she took a deep breath, then began.

"Okay, in our timeline, the demon king, Mundus, was summoned into the Zero Dimension."

IF's eyes widened at that. "The demon king!?"

"And of course he's named after Monday...the worst day of the week!" Growled Neptune, causing everyone to look at her incredulously, even Otoha. Seeing this, the CPU giggled and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, prompting Otoha to clear her throat and continue.

"He was weak, his power sapped somehow, until he summoned...the Qliphoth. A demonic tree that thrives on human blood. With the blood of countless innocents, the tree bore a fruit, and as the legend goes...eating the fruit gives one the power to rule the Underworld. The first tree was summoned in the Zero Dimension...and all of these monsters...they were consumed by it."

For once, Neptune couldn't think of a joke, as she glanced down in horror at the friendly monsters on the floor below. They were all...killed?

Umio's own expression was a mix of horror and anger, and he asked, "What about Uzume, was she...?"

"Both of you survived, and managed to create a portal that brought everyone back home with Croire's help. Unfortunately, Mundus was able to create his own portal a year later, and he summoned another Qliphoth here, in Gamindustri. After that...war...constant war. So many people were dying, the Goddesses were weakening as their citizens were harvested...and...and..." Otoha's shoulders began to quiver, her breathing began to hitch, and her eyes began to water as the painful memories began to rush in.

IF couldn't stop herself, as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Otoha as she held her head in her hands. Histoire and Umio watched with sympathetic looks as the girl broke down in tears. Even Neptune was unable to smile...instead, adopting a rare expression...anger, but she was quick to school her expression as Otoha looked up again, tears streaking down her cheeks while Umio said, "If the memory pains you this much, it might be best to hold off for now."

"No! You need to know what happens." Said Otoha, a fierce look of determination on her face. IF, though worried, slowly backed off, though kept a calming hand on her daughter's shoulder as she continued.

"We managed to evacuate the cities as the roots grew larger, but we only slowed the growth down, and things got desperate as we ran out of places to run. Eventually, Mundus managed to grow another fruit."

"How horrible! Was there nothing else you could do?" Asked Histoire. Hearing this made her want to start reviewing evacuation procedures for Planeptune. If such an emergency was due to happen, it would also be best if the other Goddesses were also informed.

Otoha paused, then said, "We got desperate. Fang was there when the fruit bloomed...and...well..."

"Who is Fang?" Asked the Oracle. To everyone's surprise, it wasn't Otoha who answered.

"He's...my son."

IF felt nervous as everyone turned to her, with Neptune's mouth opening and closing in shock, while Otoha nodded. Histoire, as much as she wanted more answers, decided to focus and ask, "What happened when the second fruit bloomed? Was Fang able to destroy it?"

"We were in a desperate spot...but Fang was able to keep it out of Mundus' hands. However, he won't tell me where he hid it. Probably for the best."

The silence that followed...

Neptune shivered at the horrid tale. The thought of consuming something that absorbed her citizens, of using their actual life force...it horrified her. However, she was relieved that the demon king had been thwarted.

"Mundus would have grown too powerful, But without the second fruit, we were able to even the odds and force him on his back foot. After that, we managed to drive the demon hordes back. We reclaimed the cities, and Mundus soon grew fatigued, to the point that we managed to seal him once again. However, the world was in a sorry state when we left it, and Fang...he 'really' wanted to keep all of it from happening. He changed, and I'm scared that something's wrong."

A moment of silence passed, before Neptune asked, "Wait...if Iffy is your mom...does that mean Taven is your dad!?"

IF blushed at this and briefly recalled her recent dream, specifically, the part where she and Taven made love, but managed to look at Neptune and asked, "H-how do you know that Taven is...!"

"Pfft! He asked us about what gift he should get you so he could confess! Congratulations IF, you maxed out your Lily rank with your boyfriend!"

The blush on the brunnete grew several shades darker when Neptune glanced over to Otoha, and with a knowing smirk said, "Well...you're 'about' to."

Umio and Histoire sighed in unison, before the former turned to Otoha and asked, "If you're here, when should we expect your brother to arrive?"

**Zero Dimension**

Taven leapt to the side, easily avoiding the knight's blade as it came down and knocking it aside, before dashing forward, aiming Hellsing for the demon's heart. The knight brought up his shield in time to block the attack, and with a mighty shove, sent Taven flying back towards the far wall.

Off to the side, Fang watched with bated breath as his father fought the demon, feeling a sense of deja vu as he remembered fighting alongside Taven during the Demonic war. Briefly his mother's face flashed in his mind, and he felt a second pain in his heart as he realized that he would never see her again. He prayed that Otoha wouldn't blame herself for what he was going to do.

Meanwhile, the battle was turning against the knight, as Taven practically danced circles around the larger foe and struck at any openings he could find. The demon attempted to bash his shield against Taven, only for the boy to hold his ground and meet the edge of the shield with the flat of his blade. With a grin, Taven pushed upwards, sending the knight stumbling back from the force!

A red aura began to surround Taven, as swung his sword again, and sliced at the knight's exposed legs. Blood sprayed, and the demon collapsed to his knees as Taven stood there, glaring up at the dim light behind the helmet. Both the sword, and the shield collapsed on either side as the knight breathed heavily, blood leaking from various wounds all over his body.

Everyone watched as Taven and knight met each other's gaze, with Mundez and Fang's eyes widening as the knight slowly moved himself in the Seiza sitting position, and nodded slowly. Taven nodded in turn, and without hesitation, swung Hellsing.

Uzume, Neptune, and Nepgear couldn't help but flinch as the demon's head fell from his shoulders, before the body began to disintegrate into burning ashes.

To the shock of everyone, the ashes suddenly flew over and enveloped Hellsing, with Taven hissing as the weapon grew hot in his hand. However, out of respect or reflex, Taven held onto the weapon as it visibly changed shape. Soon, the ashes fell away revealing Hellsing in a new form. The blade's appearance had changed. No longer resembling a Daikatana, it now resembled a broadsword, the pommel being pointed and surrounding a red jewel. The hilt was ridged, resembling a spine as it connected to the handguard. The blade itself sported three oval shapes glowing a dull red. All in all, it was a magnificent blade, and seeing a weapon he was familiar with caused the young man to grin.

Fang's eyes widened in recognition, while everyone else watched with shocked expressions as Taven placed his newly transformed weapon on his back, black tendrils forming from the sword and wrapping around his torso like makeshift straps. As he approached them, Mundez gazed at his...no...Taven's sword, and remembered the shattered blade of Alucard. Did Taven have the ability to bond with weapons? Hellsing never transformed while it was in his possession.

His contemplation was cut short when Uzume said, "Yikes, Tavy! Remind me to stay on your good side! You've gotten a power boost!"

Taven glanced down at his hand, and with a quirked eyebrow said, "Not a boost...the energy sealing my demonic power...I can barely feel it now. Its as if the chain holding me back has been shattered."

"So...you're no longer...sick?" Asked Nepgear, with Taven grinning as a response, a wicked gleam in his eye as he said, "I feel like I'm running on a high right now! I feel light as hell, and I can sense everything more clearly. I bet I could punch a hole through brick and barely feel it!"

Vlad put a hand on his brother's shoulder and shook his head. "Let's not...the last thing I need to deal with is your hyper self. Quit acting like a newborn vampire and lets go grab Croire."

Perhaps trying to lighten the mood, Neptune suddenly hugged Croire, causing her to blush. "Got her!" This caused Vlad to sigh and say, "I meant...the small one."

"I know...I'm just trying to lighten the mood." To her credit, she got some chuckles, and even a smirk from Vlad, before he became serious and said, "Alright...listen up. We're about to battle against the King of Hell itself, so steel your hearts, and ready your spirits. We need to stop him before he can use Croire's power to wreak havoc across the dimensions."

"So this is the final boss? Where's the save point?" Asked Arya, with Mundez smiling as everyone snickered. However, he noticed that Fang's own smile was more...sad, the boy locking eyes with Croire briefly, and nodding slightly, before he got everyone's attention by yelling, "Alright! Enough hyping yourselves up! Let's take this guy out!"

Taven smirked at his son's spirit. That felt weird to say, considering he and Fang the same age right now. And also, why was Fang so pale now? He was broken out of his thoughts when Arya tapped his shoulder and said, "We're in the endgame now, little brother. It's been fun."

This got a scoff from Taven as the group began to walk, following the dark energy signature. "No one is dying here...got it?" Arya chuckled at Taven's bravado, but Croire, walking in the back, heard him, and balled her fists as she stared at Fang's back, pain welling up in her heart.

**Meanwhile**

Mundus closed his eyes, a scowl on his face as he sensed the destruction of his servant. He knew the damn thing wouldn't succeed, but to fail in killing even 'one' of those fool? Perhaps he'd underestimated them. Either way, he would crush them, and their corpses would serve as the foundation for his new interdimensional empire.

At last, the power he'd taken from that pesky girl, as well as Croire, was truly his. No longer was he restricted to a large gargantuan form. Instead, he'd taken a much more...human appearance. His hair was grey and long, reaching his collar, and framing a regal face. His eyes were blood red, contrasting greatly with the ghost white color of his skin. Upon his forehead was his third eye, white in color, with the skin of his forehead splitting from his scalp to the space between his eyebrows, serving as grotesque eyelids.

He wore only a pair of pants. and an open and loose robe, revealing a muscular physique. In his right hand he held a nodachi, though considering that he was still considerably taller than any human, it may as well be a regular katana. As he sat on a regal chair that served as his temporary throne, he found himself chuckling, imagining delicious forms of torture while waiting for his so called vanquishers.

The former goddess, Kurome, had been removed from his presence, released from her chains and allowed to run. Of course, she did, but to Mundus' amusement, she vowed vengeance before she fled. Had she been a demon, he might have taken her as a concubine, but such things were beneath him, and she was little more than a human now.

He'd be damned if he sullied himself by sleeping with a human, as his former servants Sparda and Mundez had. However, Sparda was gone now, and his sons were currently beyond his reach. Croire had crippled his ability to access dimensions on a whim, and it would be some time before he could do so. The little bug was still with him, sealed within his third eye, but constantly annoying him with her feeble attempts at escape. He wouldn't kill her, due to her role in unsealing him, but he wouldn't allow her freedom either.

At least he'd gotten good at tuning her out. Honestly, isn't this what she wanted? This would be worthy history to record. Today, he would begin his conquest of the universe, by first stepping over the bodies of these so called heroes. He would make especially sure that Mundez suffered. The fool had been named for Mundus himself, and he tarnished that honor by betraying him for the sake of humans!

His suffering would be great. First, he would make him watch as his children were killed. Then he would make him watch as he burned Hyperdimension to the ground. Finally, he would raze the mortal realm of their home dimension. When Mundez saw everything he fought for turned to ruin, only then would he have his permission to die.

A sound caught his attention, and Mundus opened his eyes as he looked down at the area below from where his throne sat. In stepped the half breeds, Vlad and Arya. Heirs of the now extinct Vampire tribe. Their mother was a fool, and her children would definitely share in her fate. Then his eyes locked onto Mundez, and he couldn't stop grinning as he sensed how...powerless he was. The fool was practically human.

To his confusion, he saw Croire among them, though no longer a small insect in size, but more human sized. He also saw a redheaded version of Kurome, and sensed that something strange was going on. Truly, this realm was a bizarre one.

Finally, he saw yet another mop of white hair, one more than he was expecting. And yet...he had the distinct feeling that he met this boy somewhere befo-!

Ohh...So 'that's' it. This was his spawn with that damn priestess, the son of Mundez and Naomi. She 'had' given birth just before sealing the Underworld. The boy was radiating with power, one Mundus was more than familiar with as the youngest son glared up at him. It would appear that the universe was seeking to make amends, by delivering all of his enemies to him at once.

Grinning wickedly, the demon king leapt from his throne, and landed before the group, and flourished his sword. It was time to lay the foundation of his empire.


	20. All Hail Mundus

Once again, everyone found themselves in a spacious room, which looked large enough to serve as an arena. Go figure. The biggest thing of note were the stairs at the far end of the room, leading up to a platform where a man sat upon an ornate chair. Taven guessed that this had to be Mundus. Rage began to swell within him. This bastard was responsible for all the bullshit his family had gone through for the last century. From killing Vlad and Arya's mom, to causing the death of his own mother in his attempt to conquer the mortal realm. On T.V., these kinds of villains were a dime a dozen, but when someone like that stood before Taven now, well...the laughing turns into rage.

They all tensed when the demon king leapt from his chair, landing in front of them and brandishing what looked to be a nodachi. However, the bastard was freakishly tall, and the sword looked like a regular katana against him.

No words were spoken as the group slowly split apart. What could be said? This was indeed the demon king, and he was their last obstacle to both getting home, and perhaps fixing this screwed up dimension. Fang glanced at the demon king's third eye, and yelled, "He's sealed Croire in his eye. Damage him enough, and she'll be able to pop out!"

Everyone else's glares hardened, while the demon king glanced over at Fang in confusion, as if surprised that he knew where the chaotic historian had been kept.

Seeing an opening, Vlad and Taven charged, the older brother reaching the king first and unsheathing his katana at the last moment, and attempting to cleave Mundus' head from his shoulders! In a flash, the king parried the attack, then lifted his blade up and caught Taven's sword in a deadlock as he came down on him from a charging leap. With a mere push he sent the boy flying back, before sidestepping a fire ball launched by Arya, and once again parrying a blow from Vlad. As the older brother fell back, Mundus sensed someone behind him, and swung his sword, intent on simply cutting this brat in half and...!

Mundus' eyes widened as their blades met, and cracks appeared on the ground beneath the two, the impact even creating a small shockwave! What was this?! This boy was actually matching him in strength!

Using his surprise to his advantage, Fang powered through the bladelock and pushed Mundus backwards, causing the king to actually skid back a few meters. So shocked was he that he failed to see Uzume charging him from behind. With a grin, the goddess leapt upwards, revealing Nepgear, who's arm was drawn back, ready to slash. As one they attacked, with Nepgear swinging her blade and sending a wave of energy flying towards Mundus, while Uzume inhaled, and screamed loudly into her megaphone, sending waves of energy flying at him. Mundus only managed to turn before both attacks met him, Uzume's attack cratering the ground and forcing him to his knees, before Nepgear's slash attack sent the king flying backwards, his body slamming into the steps leading up to his throne.

"He's not used to his body yet! Keep up the pressure!" Yelled Fang, rushing towards the downed demon king. Seeing the boy approach, Mundus growled and pushed himself to his feet, before he too began running forward. Once again their weapons clashed, and the shockwave created a gust of wind that knocked the others off balance, before Fang and Mundus began to trade blows in the center of the room. Vlad watched at his nephew held his own against their foe, and felt a small bit of envy at the boy's clear skill with the katana. Mundus himself was feeling frustrated each their weapons clashed, each clang of steel serving as an insult.

This brat, who's blood was tainted with that of a human's, was actually matching him!? Where did this power come from!? His anger rising, Mundus brought his blade down on the boy, and was satisfied to see him fall to one knee as he blocked the attack. Mundus then kicked Fang in his chest, and actually sent him flying towards the far wall, where his body crashed against the wall, creating webbed cracks before he fell to the ground.

Sensing magic, Mundus turned, and caught Arya's energy blast in his hand, the beam actually being absorbed and condensed into a ball, before he grinned and fired it behind him, catching Taven in the chest as he tried to attack from behind. Another swing of his sword knocked aside Nepgear's attempt to stab him, and with a chuckle he backhanded the CPU candidate across the face, sending her sprawling to the ground, and pissing off a Uzume as she saw her friend lying dazed.

"You bastard!" Enraged, Uzume actually tossed aside her megaphone, and charged in with a fist cocked back. Mundus, feeling 'generous' allowed her punch to land. He immediately regretted it, as Uzume's fist landed square in his face, and sent 'him' sprawling, his body briefly rolling before lifting off the ground and flying towards the wall. The king managed to right himself, and his feet touched the wall, before he leapt back towards Uzume, intent on avenging his indignation at her hands!

However, his attack path was suddenly shifted from Uzume, to the ground, as Vlad leapt forward and crashed into him mid-air. The two rolled together on the ground, before Mundus emerged on top of the vampire hybrid. his sword drawn back as he prepared to behead this wretch beneath him. However, the third time's the charm, as Arya's third blast of energy actually landed on the demon king, causing him to stumble back, and leaving him open to Neptune's cross slash on his back.

Roaring in anger more than pain, Mundus kicked backwards, and sent the older Neptune flying, just as Taven appeared before him, dashing forward and leading with the point of his sword. To Taven's shock, Mundus actually caught the weapon with his hand just before it could pierce his chest. Blood flowed between the king's fingers as the two struggled against each other, Mundus again being shocked at the strength of this half-breed before him. Briefly, he saw Dante in Taven's place, and his anger returned before he thrust out with his own sword.

To the horror of all watching, especially Vlad, Taven was impaled straight through the heart, and like a ragdoll, Mundus lifted the boy off the ground whilst still impaled, the flung him none too gently to the side, with Taven's body flying towards Uzume and Nepgear.

The two managed to catch him, and Nepgear was already preparing to lend emergency healing aid, when Taven actually cursed and leapt to his feet, gritting his teeth and getting ready to charge again. However, Uzume grabbed him and yelled, "Hold one moment! How are you-!" Taven, however, wrenched his arm free and said, "I barely felt that shit!" He then glanced at the two. "Hey, why don't you go HDD? We could use some divine power here!"

"We've tried, but the energy of this place is getting in the way!" Yelled Uzume, still shocked that Taven was walking off being 'stabbed through the heart'. Shocked, Taven looked to Nepgear for confirmation, the CPU Candidate glowing slightly, only for the light to die down. This caused him to curse. "Shit! Okay, we can still do this! Remember, we just need to rip Croire out of the bastard's head!"

Uzume grinned, cracking her knuckles as she said, "I'd prefer kicking that guy's ass completely, but I can suffice with giving him a punch in that stupid eye!" Inspired by her bravado, Nepgear held her blade at the ready, as the three rushed back into the fray.

Meanwhile, Mundus and Vlad were engaged in a fierce duel, the demon king fending off the enraged swings of Vlad's sword. Seeing his brother being impaled before him...it reawakened the wrath that had emerged against Arfoire when she essentially killed Taven. The blue aura began to emerge around his form again as he began to overtake Mundus, and Vlad suddenly drew back and sheathed his weapon, and Mundus only had a moment to recognize what was going on before his body was racked by multiple swathes of slashing waves.

Blood splattered, and Mundus felt his rage rising as he brought his sword down once again, only to be met by Taven's sword! Taven grinned at the shocked look on Mundus' face, before pushing the Nodachi aside and slashing upwards, carving a deep gash on the king's chest. Leaping over them, Uzume yelled into her Megaphone, the sound waves crashing into Mundus and leaving him open. Nepgear ran forward, using Taven as a springboard and coming down on the demon king, her sword carving another gash in his chest that crossed the wound Taven made.

Grinning, Taven raised his weapon to deliver the next blow, but was more than a little shocked as a blurred figure dashed past and collided with Mundus, taking him all the way to foot of the stairs. Blood sprayed, as the demon king glared up at his attacker, Fang, who was currently driving his sword into Mundus' chest. Fang was levelling his own hate filled glare at the demon king, who with a mighty heave, finally pushed him back towards the others.

Taven grinned, feeling pride in seeing his son kick ass like that, though he was a little salty that Fang took the last attack. "I had him right where I wanted him." Fang scoffed. "You did that to me all the time whenever you took me on your hunts. Kill stealer." Behind them, Vlad, and the two goddesses grinned, though the older half demon had to ask...

"Exactly how are you so strong?" Asked Vlad, seeing Fang actually tense. Meanwhile, Taven noticed that Fang's veins were starting to become more...pronounced? His skin was also turning more pale. He wasn't the only one to notice, as Uzume and Nepgear eyed him with worry.

Then Mundus suddenly dashed forward, becoming a blur and crashing into the group! Fang was grabbed by his collar and thrown up into the air. Before he could recover, everyone watched in shock as Mundus leapt up towards him, and crashed into him again, the two hurdling towards the far wall, and kicking up a large cloud upon impact.

"FANG!" Yelled Croire, watching as bright sparks illuminated the cloud, followed by clanging steel. Her eyes widened in shock as Fang came flying out of the cloud, crashing into the ground, and losing his grip on his sword. The blade stabbed into the ground next to his head, but before he could get to his feet, Mundus came crashing down, driving his foot into the boy's chest, causing an audible crack as his sternum caved in, with enough force to make him spit blood. Just as quickly, Mundus picked up the fallen sword, and made to stab him straight through the skull, only to be stopped when the sharpened point of Arya's cane appeared out of his chest.

Mundus roared in pain, as Arya continued to drive her weapon through his back, but was shocked when he suddenly turned, and to Fang's, as well as everyone else's horror, ran her through with his nodachi!

"Arya!" Yelled Mundez, Taven, with Vlad letting loose an enraged scream and charging the bastard! With a contemptuous snort, Mundus swung his sword, flicking the girl off of his weapon and sending her body flying into Taven, who flew back from the impact as he held his sister. They tumbled, then stopped, with Taven skidding on his back. To Taven's relief, Arya was more pissed than hurt. She was coughing up blood, but had the strength to growl and say, "He could at least buy me dinner before sticking it in!"

Meanwhile, Mundus actually found himself grunting as Vlad's blade clashed with his, sending out a small shockwave before Vlad pulled back and began to swing for the king's throat. Mundus' nodachi was swift to meet each of the hybrid's attempts, and thus commenced their duel. "You won't live past today! The world has long since moved on from you!" Yelled Vlad, once again shrouded in blue aura, and actually meeting the king blow.

Mundus growled and locked his blade with Vlad's, before he raised his free hand to Vlad's face, a small fireball beginning to form. "The world trembles at my return. Mankind will turn to ash in the face of my wrath!" With that, the ball of flame quadrupled in size, before flying into Vlad's chest and causing a sizable explosion between the two that sent Vlad flying backwards, before he landed and tumbled a few feet, his clothes singed, but already healing. If anything, his aura seemed to double his healing rate!

That's when Neptune and Nepgear leapt forward, the two attacking the demon high and low with quick slashes. Mundus grit his teeth as he parried the older Neptune's blades, before ducking under Nepgear's beheading strike and attempting to impale the CPU Candidate upon his blade, only for Neptune to cross her swords and catch the attack, throwing his blade of course and leaving him open to-!

Mundus' eyes widened comically as Neptune threw her foot outward into a kick that all men fear, planting her foot firmly between the demon king's legs! Seeing this, all the males winced, feeling the smallest sliver of empathy for the demonic tyrant as he stumbled backwards, clutching at his groin and taking deep breaths. Not expecting her attack to be so effective, Neptune and Nepgear actually hesitated.

Vlad did not.

In a flash, he was before the stunned king of the underworld, and blue swathes of energy followed his sword as he began to slice into his most hated enemy. Blood flew in all directions, as Vlad's blade tore into the king's flesh. Vlad then sliced upwards, the force of the blow making the king to stumble back, clutching at his shoulder, unable to swing his sword.

Seeing a chance to end it once and for all, Vlad went for the final blow, drawing his blade back, then thrusting it forward with all of his strength. The result? His katana went straight through the king's skull, stabbing him square in the eye upon his forehead! Mundus didn't cry out in pain, instead, his two remaining eyes rolled to the back of his head, and his jaw went slack. Grinning, Vlad pulled back his sword, watching as the body stood, twitching somewhat, before finally back, the sound of its impact against the floor practically echoing in the now silent room.

Vlad felt all sorts of feelings well up as the reality caught up with him. He'd just killed the demon king. His mother, his tribe, Naomi, they were all avenged! A rueful chuckle escaped him. He was shocked that he actually alive right now. He was more than certain that this path would end in both Mundus' and his mutual destruction. That's when he noticed something strange.

From his ruined third eye, a small ball of purple light began to glow, before it began streaming out steadily, forming a shape in front of Vlad. To everyone's shock, the shape turned into a small person, one Neptune instantly recognized.

"Croire!?"

Indeed, the figure before Vlad turned out to be none other than Croire, though this one was far smaller than the one that accompanied Fang, as well as looking drained and somewhat pale. She was small enough that she could sit on the open pages of a book, much like Planeptune's own oracle. Knowing that she was responsible for all of this mischief, Vlad was none too gentle when he grabbed her and began to drag the Tome back to the others. This served to instantly bring her out of her dazed state.

"H-hey! Let go of me damnit!"

"And let you cause more havoc!? Be lucky I don't strike you down as well!" Growled Vlad as he reached the others. Upon seeing the taller, human version of herself, her next protest died in her throat, and she felt a shiver run down her small frame as she regarded the glare she was receiving from her alternate self. She could admit that she didn't have a lot of fans, but to see her own face glaring at her...it was unnerving.

By now, everyone was gathered together, glad that it was all over, and allowing themselves to relax. "Did...we just win?" Asked Arya, with Nepgear glancing towards the fallen king. "I think we did. There's no way he could survive a move like that."

Vlad grunted when Uzume slugged him on the shoulder and said, "Damn, V! First Arfoire, now a freaking demon king? You're racking up the high profile kills!"

"Actually, he didn't 'kill' Arfoire." Said Neptune, patting her Nepnote. Indeed, the Deity of Sin was trapped within, gravely wounded, but alive. However, that didn't stop Taven and Arya from grinning, with Taven and saying, "Doesn't change the fact that my brother is an absolute savage." Fang was on his feet by now, and upon seeing Vlad holding the smaller Croire, he said, "Ok...now that we have Croire...we can make a portal to send you all home-!"

Fang was suddenly overcome with a violent coughing fit, collapsing to his knees and holding a hand over his mouth, shocking everyone. Taven and Croire were instantly by his side, and as his coughing slowly died down, Fang pulled his hand away from his mouth, revealing blood. "Damn, thought I'd have a little more time."

"The hell is going on? You can heal, right?" Asked Uzume, while Neptune was fishing in her supplies for some Nepbull, procuring a can and preparing to hand it to Fang. However, much to her confusion, he shook his head, and with some help, he managed to get back to his feet, though was leaning on his sword for support. However, he was now as pale as a ghost, and his dark veins gave him a ghastly appearance due to its stark contrast with his skin. Nepgear, with a worried expression asked, "Fang...what's wrong? You've been getting worse and worse!"

Fang took a deep, shaky breath, before dropping the bomb.

"Simply put...I'm dying...and at best, I have half an hour left before...before...!"

Everyone suddenly froze, feeling a shiver begin to run down their spines, before a chuckle began to echo throughout the room, coming from-!

"You've got to be kidding me!" Yelled Uzume, her gaze aimed at the supposedly dead Mundus' body.

"Umm...does anyone else feel that creepy crawly feeling running down their spine?" Said Neptune warily, stepping back as Mundus began to actually cackle, a violet aura slowly encompassing his form, as an invisible force began to lift his body up off the floor, like one of those creepy exorcist movies, before he was back on his two feet!

The king was still alive.

The heroes watched as the demon king broke out into full blown laughter, sounding absolutely maniacal as black, bat-like wings sprang from his back, and his body began to rise into the air. Glancing down at his stunned foes, he yelled, "This has been quite the amusing warm-up! Well done to all of you! However, your power still pales in comparison to mine!"

Vlad pointed his blade towards the gloating demon. "Big talk, your highness! But in case you haven't noticed, we've had you against the wall ever since this battle began! So quit with the bravado!" By now, Fang was too weak to remain on his feet, kneeling and using his sword as a crutch. Taven turned to him, frantic.

"The fuck is he doing?!"

Years of fighting against Mundus had made him more than familiar with what was about to happen, and he wasn't the only one. Seeing the aura gathering around Mundus, Croire barely had time to yell her warning.

"Everyone! Take Cover!"

Mundus' voice echoed, **"All...Hail...Mundus!"**

Everyone else then noticed an all too familiar sound, growing louder with each passing second. The sound of something entering the atmosphere, of something large falling to the earth. Taven himself finally realized what was going on, only after the roof collapsed above them all, with large debris crashing towards the ground, illuminated by a purple light. The last thing he felt before the large debris hit him, was the feeling of someone grabbing hold of him...

**Meanwhile**

"You know, I didn't think 'he' was your type. I always thought that you'd date a ninja like yourself." Said Compa, flipping through a small photo album Otoha had brought as proof she was from the future. She'd been quick to arrive once Neptune had called her, and the nurse was definitely shocked to see the crazy amount of monsters crowding the Basilicom, though they were rather cute and friendly. She took a good look at one of the pictures, and giggled as she saw IF's future husband, trying to maintain a cool façade as a young Otoha put red bows in his hair. Beneath the picture were the words...

_He promised to let his little princess play with his hair , better him than me!_

On either side of the nurse, a blushing IF and an awkward Otoha were sitting, though IF had to giggle at how Taven's expression was a mix of calm and pleading. On the other side of the room, Neptune was speaking on the phone to a certain tsundere she knew, who sounded none too pleased at the moment.

_"You come back from your crazy dimension hopping journey, and you don't let any of us know!? I knew you were an airhead Neptune, but this takes it to a whole new level! And now, you're saying that IF's children from the future are currently in the present. with a horde of 'friendly' monsters?"_

Neptune sweatdropped as Noire continued her rant. Clearly, she was more than a little miffed that Neptune forgot to let anyone know she was back, but hey, at least this proved that everyone's favorite tsundere goddess had a soft spot for her.

With a nervous chuckle, she said, "Okay...so maybe I forgot to call you, my bad. But...I 'was' really tired, and then these monster showed up in my Basilicom! Could you let Vert and Blanc know what's going on?"

_"Why should 'I' have to call them. It wouldn't be too much for 'you' to handle, right?"_

A moment of silence passed, with Neptune counting down in her head from five. Once she reached zero, she heard Noire sigh on her end.

_"Fine...I'll let them know what's going on! Then I'm coming over to see for myself...'not' to check up on you...obviously!"_

A click, and Neptune was left smirking as she pulled the phone away from her ear. Oh Noire...why do you have to be so cute?

She then glanced towards IF and Otoha. Now that she thought about it, Otoha didn't much resemble IF, or even Taven, yet the pictures were more than enough evidence that she was who she said she was...right?


End file.
